Monarchs
What are they?
The monarchs have often been considered to form a separate family, the Danaiidae, but more recently, taxonomists have placed them within a much broader Nymphalidae family. The monarchs form an interesting group of species with many of them being poisonous to predators, a quality which means that they are often mimicked by other species. Indeed, included here is the Viceroy which, though a nymphalid, is not strictly a 'monarch', but it is clearly mimicking one and is included here as an aid to identification.
Identification
In our region, this group consists of two bright orange butterflies with black and white markings (plus a third species that has occurred once as a vagrant). Identification is fairly strait-forward based on the pattern of the underside of the hindwing.
Viceroy Limenitis archippus
Wingspan: 2.8 inches. Flight time: May to October in two to three broods. Larval foodplant: Willows and poplars (Salicaceae). A fairly widespread species and not uncommon in open, woodland edge and scrub areas where the larval foodplants grow. Easily mistaken for the far more common Monarch and best told from it by the extra black line that runs across the middle of the hindwing on both the upperside and underside. Also note that the wing borders have a single row of white spots, not a double one. The flight style is very different too, as Viceroy has a typical 'nymphalid' style of flicky, stiff wing beats with sharp changes of direction, while Monarch has a more casual wingbeat with slower, more curving changes of direction.
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Monarch Danaus plexippus
Wingspan: 3.8 inches. Flight time: April to November in several broods after initial immigration from the south. Larval foodplant: Milkweeds (Apocynaceae). A widespread species and particularly common, even abundant, in Fall when southbound migrants move through the Cape May area. Easily mistaken for the Viceroy and best told from it by the lack of a black line running across the middle of the hindwing. Also note that the wing borders have a double row of white spots, not a single one. The flight style is very different too, as Viceroy has a typical 'nymphalid' style of flicky, stiff wing beats with sharp changes of direction, while Monarch has a more casual wingbeat with slower, more curving changes of direction.
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Queen Danaus gilippus
Wingspan: 3.2 inches. Flight time: A stray from the south, most likely to occur in Fall. Larval foodplant: Milkweeds (Apocynaceae). A rare stray from the south, once recorded in Cape May County in September. Closely related to Monarch and very similar to it. Best told by the veins on the forewings which, on Queen, or not picked out heavily in black. The background color above tends to be more a rusty chestnut color rather than orange, while below, the background color of the hindwings is not paler than the forewings. (Photos taken in Arizona in August).
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