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Viceroy Butterfly (Limenitis archippus) emerges from chrysalis, found in North America. Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, Washington, USA.

The Viceroy Butterfly (Limenitis archippus) emerges from its chrysalis. It is a North American butterfly with a range from the Northwest Territories along the eastern edges of the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada mountains, southwards into central Mexico. Its wings feature an orange and black pattern, and over most of its range it is a Müllerian mimic with the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus). In Florida, Georgia, and the Southwest, Viceroys share the pattern of the Queen Butterfly (Danaus gilippus) and in Mexico they share the pattern of the Soldier Butterfly (Danaus eresimus). The caterpillar feeds on trees in the willow family Salicaceae, including willows (Salix), and poplars and cottonwoods (Populus). The caterpillars sequester the salicylic acid in their bodies, which makes them bitter, and upsets predators' stomachs. As further protection, the caterpillars, as well as their chrysalis stage, resemble bird droppings. Adults are strictly diurnal, they fly preferentially in the late morning and early afternoon. The Viceroy is the state butterfly of Kentucky. Photographed in the Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, Washington, USA.

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0809ZOO-114.jpg
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© Tom Dempsey / Photoseek.com
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Contained in galleries
MEXICO: favorites, Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo
The Viceroy Butterfly (Limenitis archippus) emerges from its chrysalis. It is a North American butterfly with a range from the Northwest Territories along the eastern edges of the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada mountains, southwards into central Mexico. Its wings feature an orange and black pattern, and over most of its range it is a Müllerian mimic with the Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus). In Florida, Georgia, and the Southwest, Viceroys share the pattern of the Queen Butterfly (Danaus gilippus) and in Mexico they share the pattern of the Soldier Butterfly (Danaus eresimus). The caterpillar feeds on trees in the willow family Salicaceae, including willows (Salix), and poplars and cottonwoods (Populus). The caterpillars sequester the salicylic acid in their bodies, which makes them bitter, and upsets predators' stomachs. As further protection, the caterpillars, as well as their chrysalis stage, resemble bird droppings. Adults are strictly diurnal, they fly preferentially in the late morning and early afternoon. The Viceroy is the state butterfly of Kentucky. Photographed in the Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle, Washington, USA.
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