monarch butterfly

[ mon-erk buht-er-flahy, mon-ahrk ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a large, deep-orange butterfly, Danaus plexippus, having black and white markings, the larvae of which feed on the leaves of milkweed: highly valued as a pollinator, the monarch butterfly is currently not evaluated by the IUCN, but the protection of the species and its habitat is central to several conservation efforts.

First recorded in 1885–90

I saw one exploring the disk of a sunflower, in company with a splendid monarch butterfly.

The chrysalis (b) is suggestive of that of the Monarch butterfly.

Both the larv and adults of the monarch butterfly are distasteful to birds, by their possession of an acrid body-fluid.

For a full account of the life-history of the monarch butterfly, see "Scudder's Life of a Butterfly."

She knew where the Monarch butterfly went on his winter migration.

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