The brilliant black and orange wings of the monarch make it one of the most instantly recognizable butterflies in the world.
A member of the danaidae family, monarchs are considered ‘brush-footed’ butterflies. The term alludes to their two front legs, which resemble brushes. Their legs are used for tasting food, and because they’re much shorter than the others, can be difficult to see with the naked eye.
Monarch butterflies begin their lives as eggs left on the underside of milkweed plants. As caterpillars, they subsist solely on the milkweed plant and subsequently become poisonous themselves. And so, poisonous to eat.
The monarch’s ability to evade predators has even caused other, non-poisonous butterflies to imitate their appearance. If you were to look at the viceroy butterfly, for instance, you would be convinced you were looking at a monarch.
Perhaps the most fascinating trait of the monarch butterfly is its immense migration process. North American monarchs will travel as many as 2,000 miles to reach the warmer climates of Florida, Texas, Southern California, and Mexico.