ODNR Division of Wildlife - A to Z Species Guide - Butterflies and Skippers - Monarch

 Monarch


 		 The monarch is the longest lived butterfly in Ohio. Fall adults can live more than 10 months. However, it does not overwinter in Ohio. Hundreds of thousands migrate to Mexico in the fall. In Ohio, on rare occasions, large groups of monarchs can be found roosting in a tree at night. Conservation movements are underway to save the monarch's wintering grounds in Mexico. If these sites are lost, then the monarch will disappear from our landscape.
 

Monarch
Danaus plexippus

At-a-Glance

• Flight Period: May to October (most common in late summer and during its fall migration)

• Wings: 3.4 - 4.9 inches
 
Description
The monarch is more easily recognized by people than any other butterfly. The male monarch can be separated from the female by a black scent "patch" on a mid-vein of its dorsal hindwing. The female does not have this "patch," is larger, and is a duller orange color.

Habitat and Habits
The monarch inhabits gardens, fields, forests, roadsides; almost anywhere. It can be found in all 88 Ohio counties.

Reproduction and Care of the Young
Monarch larvae feed on various milkweeds. The toxins found in milkweeds that the larvae eat give the adult monarchs their disagreeable taste, protecting them from predators.