Queen Butterfly

About the Queen Butterfly

The Queen is a close relative of the Monarch, and a common, handsome butterfly across the southern half of Texas. It is a rich mahogany or chestnut brown with a black border, and the forewings carry a scattering of small white spots. From below, the hindwing shows black-outlined veins. It is smaller and darker than a Monarch and lacks the Monarch's bold black vein lines on the upperside.

Like the Monarch, the Queen lays its eggs on milkweeds and related plants, including climbing milkweed vines. The caterpillars absorb bitter compounds from the plants and store them, which makes both caterpillars and adults distasteful to many birds. Queen caterpillars are striking: banded in black, white, and yellow, with three pairs of long black filaments.

Adult males visit plants such as blue mistflower and certain heliotropes to gather chemicals they use to make courtship pheromones. Queens do not make the famous long migration of the Monarch, but they breed through much of the year in South Texas and wander northward in late summer and fall.

This Queen was photographed on South Padre Island in Cameron County on November 23, 2022, nectaring in the native plantings at the birding and convention center.