The Royal Family of Butterflies

     Today at the Cedar Point Environmental Center here in Englewood, we finally spotted the Queen butterfly.  Our "Royal Family" of orange butterflies is now complete.  We had previously seen the Viceroy and the Monarch.  They are all butterflies in the Nymphalidae family, which contains over 6000 species.  Their larvae feed on plants in the Milkweed family.  Together, the Queen, Viceroy and Monarch form a mimicry complex (meaning, they're alike in many ways), in which all three species are highly distasteful or toxic to predators. 

     Enjoy this spectacular collection of Englewood's Royal Family of Orange Butterflies; the Queen, the Viceroy and the Monarch. 

     The Queen (Danaus gilippus) is closely related to the Monarch.  Adults have a slow, soaring flight and they are fond of flowers.  A frequent garden visitor, it typically rests and feeds with its wings closed.  It is orange or brown with black wing borders and small white forewing spots on its dorsal wing surface.  The ventral hindwings have black veins and small white spots in a black border.  The male has a black scent patch on its dorsal hindwings.  It's wing span is 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 inches.

Queen Butterfly (Male)
(Taken 10/8/12, Englewood FL)

     The Viceroy (Limenitis archippus) can be distinguished from the Monarch by its smaller size and the post median black line that runs across the veins on the hindwing.  The Viceroy is orange to mahogany with black markings, veins and  broad wing borders.  The borders contain central rows  of small white spots.  In Florida, Viceroys share the pattern of the Queen.  It's wingspan is 2 1/2 to 3 1/4 inches. The Viceroy is the state butterfly of Kentucky. 

Viceroy Butterfly
(Taken 8/17/12, Englewood FL)

     The Monarch (Danaus plexippus) is undoubtedly the best known of all North American butterflies.  It's annual fall mass migration is one of the greatest natural events undertaken by any organism on earth.  Adults have a strong, soaring flight.  Monarchs are orange with black veins and wing borders.  The black borders have two rows of small white spots.  Males are slightly larger than females.  Female Monarchs have darker veins on their wings.  Males have a small black scent patch in the center of each hindwing.  It's wing span is 3 1/2 to 4 four inches.  The Monarch is the state butterfly of Alabama, Idaho, Illinois, Minnesota, Texas, Vermont and West Virginia.     

Monarch Butterfly (Male)
(Taken 11/9/11, Englewood FL)