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Rhododendrites · Original image & credits · CC BY-SA 4.0

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INSECTS

Monarch butterfly

Meet monarch butterfly—one more extraordinary life to discover.

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A CLOSER LOOK

A reference overview

The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae. Other common names, depending on region, include milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black-veined brown. It is among the most familiar of North American butterflies and an iconic pollinator, although it is not an especially effective pollinator of milkweeds.

Overview excerpt from Wikipedia contributors · Monarch butterfly, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Excerpt may be shortened. Overview retrieved 2026-10-09.

KNOW WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT

The evidence behind this discovery

Source-linked

This overview is attributed to Wikipedia contributors and was retrieved on 2026-10-09. Retrieval is not independent scientific review.

Reference media

The picture has a linked creator and license. Extinct-animal images may show a fossil, specimen or reconstruction; a reconstruction is not a photograph of the living animal.

Scope and uncertainty

Map points represent selected regions, not complete ranges or live sightings. References and identifications can change. A linked source is not an expert certification.

Read our evidence and editorial approach →

LET ONE QUESTION OPEN ANOTHER

Where will this discovery take you?

Another discovery in Mexico

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Another insects discovery

Blue morpho butterfly ↗

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Use the visual clues to narrow a collection, then compare animals and check their references.

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Monarch butterfly

A reference overview

The evidence behind this discovery

Where will this discovery take you?

Axolotl ↗

Blue morpho butterfly ↗

What can a picture tell you? ↗

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