Monarch butterfly caterpillar with attached monarch chrysalis

Milkweed plants in meadows, gardens, roadsides, prairies, and other open habitats across the Americas. The chrysalis is attached to nearby stems or leaves.

Larvae feed almost exclusively on milkweed (Asclepias), consuming leaves and sequestering cardenolides. Adults feed on flower nectar.

The striped larva molts several times before forming a chrysalis, undergoing complete metamorphosis. Adults migrate over multiple generations in North America and use chemical defenses acquired from milkweed.

Harmless to people and beneficial as pollinators and a major part of food webs. Their milkweed-derived toxins can cause vomiting in predators, but handling is generally safe.