Easily recognised and a great favourite with children.  Has tawny red wings, veined in black, with black borders covered in numerous white spots.  The caterpillar is also boldly patterned with black, yellow and white bands around its body.  

The female lays her eggs on the underside of leaves, they hatch in about 5 days, and the young caterpillar chews its way out of the egg, usually eating the shell as its first meal.  It normally pupates on its host plant to form the pale jade-green chrysalis.

The caterpillars eat only the leaves of the milkweed group of plants, especially swan-plant (Asclepias fruticosa).  There is a good population of Monarch butterflies around the nursery and shop area on Tiritiri Matangi where there are several mature swan-plants.

Photography by Max McRae