Monarch

Danaus Plexippus

Family Nymphadlidae

• Colouring – Light brown wings, black tips and white dots all round the edges of their wings.
• Life span – Typically 2-5 weeks, can survive up to 6 or 7 months through autumn and winter.
• Immigrant
• Caterpillar colour – Black, yellow and white.
• Eggs to caterpillar – 4-5 weeks.
• Food for the caterpillar – Some raw vegetables, milkweed leaves, butternut squash.
• Food for the butterfly – Milkweed, nectar-bearing flowers (with sugar content).

Special features

Travels several thousands of miles from Canada, USA, Mexico. The Monarch is a very rare visitor to the UK. It has the highest evolved migration of any known butterfly, and is a very large butterfly with prominent veined wings. Briefly seen in Brighton, but may have been home produced.