Minnesota adopted the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) as the official state butterfly in 1998. Monarch caterpillars appear to feed exclusively on milkweed, which grows throughout Minnesota.
Photo of monarch butterfly caterpillar on mlkweed plant
by Peggy Greb courtesy USDA Image Gallery
Both caterpillar and butterfly are brilliant in color as a warning - the Monarch ingests toxins from the milkweed plant which are poisonous to predators. The male butterfly has small black dots on its lower wings - females do not:
Male (above) and female (below) monarch butterflies
photos © photographer Lynn M. Rosenblatt, author of
MONARCH MAGIC, Ideals Publications: Monarch Butterfly USA
