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| Monarch butterfly | |
|---|---|
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| Female | |
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| Male | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Nymphalidae |
| Genus: | Danaus |
| Species: | D. plexippus |
| Binomial name | |
| Danaus plexippus | |
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| Synonyms | |
The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is an insect in the Nymphalidae family. It is the best-known butterfly in North America.
Monarchs are known for their long annual migrations. In North America, they travel long distances south in the fall, and north in the spring. They start to migrate south in about August. They must get to frost-free areas. Freezing will kill them. A migration towards the north starts in the spring.
No single individual makes the whole round trip. The monarch is famous for its southward migration and northward return in summer. The migration north spans the life of three to four generations of the butterfly. A longer-lived "super generation" flies from the northern-most parts of the butterfly's range in Canada all the way to Mexico. It overwinters in the south, and breeds in the spring to start the next generation flying north. The following reference gives a map of the migration routes.
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