Monarch

Danaus plexippus

Classification

Conservation Status

  • When Monarchs pass through the Cumberland River Basin each spring and fall, they are on a two to three thousand mile journey. 
  • In the fall when they are returning south, they can travel up to 100 miles per day. 
  • Monarchs use antennae to smell and small hairs on their legs to taste. 
  • Toxic cardenolides in their bodies make monarchs poisonous to eat. The butterflies acquire these toxins from the milkweed they eat as caterpillars. Viceroy butterflies mimic the Monarchs appearance to deter predators of their own.