A handful of Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) have been seen nectaring in our community this week. An easily recognizable pollinator species, monarchs are characterized by their orange, black and white stained glass pattern.
These monarchs were photographed this morning near Butterfly bushes (Buddleia spp.)* planted along the pool fence near the playground in Governors Park.
*Although the butterfly bushes provide nectar for the adult stage monarch, they do not support the entire life-cycle of this butterfly. Monarch caterpillars eat only the leaves of milkweed. Alternative native plants for attracting butterflies include Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepius tuberosa), Eastern aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium), Coneflowers (Echinacea spp), and Joe Pye (Eupatorium spp).
Photos: Susie Moffat
Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) by Patricia Moffat is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Contact: Susie Moffat, Communication Committee and Webmaster, susie_moffat at unc.edu