Monarch butterfly caterpillar

Fields, meadows, and gardens where milkweed host plants grow.

Strictly milkweed leaves, sequestering toxic cardiac glycosides for defense.

Solitary feeders that spin a silk pad to hang upside down in a J-shape before pupating into a chrysalis.

Harmless to humans and vital as a specialized herbivore that contributes to the life cycle of a major pollinating butterfly species.