Monarch butterfly

Fields, meadows, weed patches, roadsides, and urban gardens containing milkweed species

Caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed leaves (Asclepias spp.); adults feed on nectar from a wide variety of flowers including milkweed, coneflowers, and goldenrod.

Famous for their multi-generational annual migration across North America to overwintering grounds in Mexico and coastal California. Adults undergo complete metamorphosis (egg, larva, pupa, adult). They sequester cardiac glycosides from milkweed plants during the larval stage, making them foul-tasting and poisonous to predators.

Harmless and non-dangerous to humans, though poisonous if eaten by pets or predators. They are important natural pollinators and serve as an iconic bioindicator species for habitat conservation.