Monarch butterfly chrysalis
![](https://oldwww.landcareresearch.co.nz/__data/assets/image/0005/2768/varieties/thumb200.jpg)
Danaus plexippus (Linnaeus)
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Size range
- About 25 mm long
Distribution
- Originally from the Pacific Coast of North America
Life History
- Large butterfly, wingspan up to 100 mm
- Caterpillars feed on plants of the Asclepiadaceae family, usually Swan plant in New Zealand
- Alternative food plants are Tweedia and Araujia
- Adults take only liquid food, nectar and water