Mullerian Mimicry
I believe this is a Viceroy butterfly. They're not easy to tell apart from a Monarch but that's the point. The latter like to feed on Milkweed, which this is clearly not. There is a white substance in the Milkweed that contains a chemical which is toxic to many animals--but not to Monarchs. This toxin carries over to the adult, and predators know to avoid eating Monarch butterflies because of this poison. Because Viceroys are a Monarchs look alike, they avoid being eaten too! It's a clever Mullerian Mimicry survival strategy and sure had me fooled.
Ever wonder where the name "butterfly" comes from? Well, I did and it evolved from "buttorfleoge" in Old English and evolved into "buterflie" or "boterflye" in Middle English. Another version was that witches disguised as butterflies stole butter back in the day. I like that explanation best. :)
Mullerian Mimicry
I believe this is a Viceroy butterfly. They're not easy to tell apart from a Monarch but that's the point. The latter like to feed on Milkweed, which this is clearly not. There is a white substance in the Milkweed that contains a chemical which is toxic to many animals--but not to Monarchs. This toxin carries over to the adult, and predators know to avoid eating Monarch butterflies because of this poison. Because Viceroys are a Monarchs look alike, they avoid being eaten too! It's a clever Mullerian Mimicry survival strategy and sure had me fooled.
Ever wonder where the name "butterfly" comes from? Well, I did and it evolved from "buttorfleoge" in Old English and evolved into "buterflie" or "boterflye" in Middle English. Another version was that witches disguised as butterflies stole butter back in the day. I like that explanation best. :)