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Insect Gallery

Monarchs & Other Royal Butterflies

order Lepidoptera - family Nymphalidae

1) Eating Prairie Verbena.  2) Eating Common Sunflower.  3-4) Congregating in a Live Oak tree.

Monarchs - subfamily Danaidae

Monarch Danaus plexippus

Photo taken in Coleman County, September 2005

Photos taken in Taylor County, October 2005

(Taylor, Nolan, Fisher, Jones, Shackelford, Callahan, Runnels, Coleman, Brown)

Butterfly: Migrate from Canada to Mexico.

Caterpillar: 2 3/4" long.  Narrow strips of black, white, yellow.  2 long black antennae-like appendages.  Feed on milkweed.

Pupa: Jewel-like, green with yellow dots at widest part.  Hangs from top point.

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1-3) Cold morning.

Monarchs - subfamily Danaidae

Queen Danaus gilippus

Photo taken in Coleman County, September 2005

(Taylor, Nolan, Fisher, Jones, Shackelford, Callahan, Runnels, Coleman, Brown)

Butterfly: 2 5/8"-3 7/8" wide.

Caterpillar: Narrow strips of black, white, yellow.  4 long black antennae-like appendages.  Feed on milkweed.

Pupa: x

1-2) Just having a rest on a note pad.

Emperors - subfamily Apaturinae

Tawny Emperor  Asterocampa clyton

Photo taken in Coleman County, May 200?4

(Jones, Callahan, Eastland, Coleman)

Butterfly: 1 5/8"-2 3/4" wide.  Do not feed on flowers.  Instead they like tree sap, rotting fruit, dung, carrion.

Caterpillar: Head has a "crown of thorns".  Body granulose, dark green or blue with yellow or white stripes.  At rest body is held in a zigzag.  Feeds on hackberry trees.  Caterpillars hibernate in groups inside a curled leaf.

Pupa: x

1) Just hanging out under a Hackberry Tree.

Emperors - subfamily Apaturinae

Hackberry Emperor Asterocampa celtis

Photo taken in Taylor County, September 2005

(Nolan, Jones, Shackelford, Runnels, Coleman, Brown)

Butterfly: 1 3/8"-2 1/2" wide.  Hang upside down.  Do not feed on flowers.  Instead they like tree sap, rotting fruit, dung, carrion.  Will drink from puddles.

Caterpillar: Head has a "crown of thorns".  Body granulose, dark green or blue with inconspicuous stripes.  At rest body is held straight.  Feeds on hackberry trees.  Caterpillars hibernate in groups inside a curled leaf.

Pupa: x

Other Royals in my area

Emperors - subfamily Apaturinae

Empress Leilia Asterocampa leilia

1 1/2 - 3 inches.  Upperside is chestnut brown; forewing has 2 solid brown bars in the cell, median white spots, and 2 black eyespots near the outer margin.

(Eastland)

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