Monarch Butterfly

Illinois State Insect

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Monarch butterfly

Monarch butterfly; photo by U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service / Northeast Region on Flickr (use permitted with attribution).

Official State Insect of Illinois

Illinois designated the iconic monarch butterfly as the official state insect in 1975, the result of lobbying by Illinois schoolchildren (a third grader from Decatur was the first to suggest the monarch as state insect). All State Insects

Monarch Butterfly Facts

Both the caterpillar and adult monarch butterfly are brilliant in color as a warning to predators - the monarch ingests toxins from the milkweed plant which are poisonous. Monarch butterfly populationss are declining due to loss of habitat; listed as NF (near threatened) by the World Wildlife Fund. 

Illinois

Images

Female monarch butterfly on milkweed © photographer Lynn M. Rosenblatt, author of "Monarch Magic" (Worthy / Ideals) and "Monarch Buddies, Munch-A-Bunch of Milkweed" (Mindstir Media) Monarch Butterfly USA (all rights reserved; used by permission).

Female monarch butterfly on milkweed

Monarch caterpillar © photographer Lynn M. Rosenblatt, author of "Monarch Magic" (Worthy / Ideals) and "Monarch Buddies, Munch-A-Bunch of Milkweed" (Mindstir Media) Monarch Butterfly USA (all rights reserved; used by permission).

Monarch caterpillar

Videos

How to Create Your Own Monarch Butterfly Rest Stop