A monarch caterpillar feeds on milkweed, a plant the insect feeds exclusively on. The caterpillars sequester from milkweed chemicals known as cardednolides that make the insects toxic to predators. (Photo courtesy of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game)
March 5, 2017
Stories this photo appears in:
Of milkweed and butterflies
Few species spark people’s wonder and passion like the monarch butterfly. With its fiery-orange and black pattern and large wingspan, the monarch is among the most recognized of insects in North America. Its life cycle is a complex marvel involving a lengthy migration completed “relay-style” by several generations in a single year. During their summer wanderings, female monarchs lay their eggs on the leaves of milkweeds — the sole food source for their striking yellow, white, and black-striped caterpillars. Milkweeds are the essential links of the chain that connect monarch breeding populations across North America.