The Queen Butterfly

The Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) is one of three milkweed butterflies that reside in the state of Florida, along with Monarchs and Soldiers. The Queen butterfly is native to both North and South America and is a member of the Nymphalidae or brush-foot family. The adult butterfly only appears to have 4 legs as the last 2 insect legs are very small and are located near the butterfly's head. As adults, these delightful butterflies are clever mimics, utilizing Mullarian mimicry to reinforce the warning colors and distasteful qualities of several related species, gaining all species more protection from predators. (Learn more here.)

Seen less often than the ubiquitous Monarch, they can be distinguished by the darker brick red color of their wings that looks very different from the Monarch’s bright orange coloration. The topside of their wings lacks black lines that follow the veins on a Monarch’s wing. Get more info on telling the difference between Monarchs and Queens here.

As a member of the Danaid species, the Queen hosts on milkweed (Asclepias spp.). Queen butterfly larvae are often mistaken for Monarch butterfly larvae, but the third set of tubercles (fleshy antenna looking projections) helps to distinguish it from the Monarch caterpillar. Queen caterpillars tend to eat more slowly than monarchs and can quickly by outpaced by their voracious cousins.

The chrysalis of a Queen looks a great deal like a monarch chrysalis but they tend to be slightly smaller in size and may have a yellow-green coloration similar to that of a wax bean, or even turn out slightly pink. All the chrysalids shown below belong to Queens. Learn about Queen chrysalis variation here.