Monarch

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Monarch 
Danaus plexippus

Wing span: 
2 1/2 to 4  inches 

Caterpillar hosts plants: 
eaves and flowers of butterfly weed and milkweed, Asclepias; spreading dogbane, Apocynum

Adult food: 

nectar of: butterfly bush, Buddleia; milkweed, Asclepias; zinnia, Zinnia before milkweeds bloom: dogbane, Apocynum; lilac, Syringa; red clover, Trifolium; thistles, Cirsium in the fall: goldenrod, Solidago; ironweed, Vernonia; sunflower, Helianthus; tickseed, Coreopsis

Habitat: 
open areas including, fields, marshes, meadows, roadsides, weedy areas 

Notes:  
females lay eggs singly on underside of leaves, adults may migrate thousands of miles to Florida, California and Mexico where they hibernate for the winter. 
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