The famous Monarch-mimic, the Viceroy, was long considered the classic example of Batesian mimicry. The apparently harmless Viceroy has evolved to closely resemble the Monarch, whose diet of milkweed makes it toxic to predators. More recent research has actually revealed that Viceroys are also distasteful, at least to some predators, so the mimicry might be more accurately consider Müllerian, where both model and mimic are harmful. This butterfly is common, and flies from May through September in Maryland (Butterflies of Maryland: A Biological Summary and Checklist by Lynn Davidson & Richard Smith).
The black line that bisects the hindwings is diagnostic for Viceroy and never present in Monarchs.
This species utilizes willows and poplars as larval hosts.
There are 458 records in the project database.
GA | AL | WA | FR | CL | MO | HO | BA | BC | HA | CE | PG | AA | CV | CH | SM | KE | QA | CN | TA | DO | WI | SO | WO |