How can you tell a male monarch from a female monarch by Vicky Spelman

Monarch Butterfly Garden.net

Monarch Butterfly Garden.net

Males have a small black spot on the top surface of the hindwing.  May be faintly visible on the  underside.







Males also have slightly thinner wing veins.

Monarch Butterfly Garden.net

Females do not have the small black spot.











The females also have thicker wing veins, which give her a somewhat darker appearance.   

Monarch butterflies are an iconic species, easily recognized by their large and vibrant orange wings. Monarchs carry out one of the most incredible cross-continental journeys in the animal kingdom, traveling upwards of 3000 miles from Canada and the northern United States to the forests in the mountains of Mexico.

Diagram: U.S. FOREST SERVICE

Each fall thousands of monarch butterflies will migrate to overwintering sites in Mexico and to a scattering of locations along the coast of California. In the spring monarchs return to breeding areas and the cycle starts again: a two-way migration that is one of the most spectacular on the planet.