Danaida Monarch

Monarch butterfly Danaus (Danaus plexippus) belongs to the nymphalid family (Nymphalidae). The wingspan of this individual reaches 100mm. She has a characteristic bright orange color with black stripes on the wings. Along the edge of the monarch's wings is a black border decorated with white spots. Females are slightly smaller than males and have a darker color.

These butterflies are widespread in North America, Madeira and the Canary Islands. During the migration period, they can be found in Europe and in Spain, Sweden, and the Azores. These ladies also fly into the vastness of Africa, to the shores of distant Australia and New Zealand.
Of particular interest is the ability of butterflies to fly long distances. For the winter, butterflies of this species move to Mexico, to the Bahamas, or to Southern California. Often they have to cover distances of up to about 3 thousand km. Moreover, monarchs spend the winter in their favorite places from year to year. They gather in close colonies in trees. Butterflies are placed so close to each other that on a branch up to 30cm long. you can count about a hundred individuals at a time. These trees, which were chosen by the monarchs, are even called butterfly trees.