Photo © 2004 by Jim Jung and licensors. All rights reserved.

Viceroy Butterflies

Viceroy Butterflies are most noted as textbook examples of mimicry. They're so similar in appearance to the distasteful and poisonous Monarch Butterfly (a completely unrelated species) that predators avoid them. Monarchs gain their toxicity by feeding exclusively on Milkweeds and incorporating the toxins these plants contain into their own tissues. Viceroy larvae on the other hand feed on a number of different tree species - notably cherries, poplars and willows - making them very tasty indeed to any passing butterfly predator. But by mimicking the noxious Monarch they gain almost total immunity from predation.

Look for adult Viceroys (and Monarchs, too) in fields, waste places and forests - in fact almost anywhere flowers are in bloom. Significantly the Viceroys time their first spring appearance with the arrival of the migrating Monarchs.

Monarch for comparison

Photo © 2004 by Jim Jung and licensors. All rights reserved.

From our Archive:

• Gardening for Moths and Butterflies

Offsite Links:

• USGS Viceroy page tailored to Texas, with photo of egg, caterpilar, and adult Viceroy
• More photos, including chrysalis

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