Monarch butterfly (caterpillar / chrysalis forms)

Open fields, meadows, prairies, and gardens where milkweed (Asclepias spp.) is present across North and Central America.

Caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed leaves, which contain toxins that protect them from predators. Adults feed on nectar from a variety of flowers.

Famous for their massive multi-generational migration from North America to central Mexico. They undergo a complete metamorphosis: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and adult.

Benefits the ecosystem as a major pollinator. They are not harmful to humans, but their bodies contain cardiac glycosides from milkweed that are toxic to birds and other predators if eaten.