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Butterfly (Viceroy)

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Limenitis archippus
Butterfly (Viceroy)

Range

They are found from northern Canada, south throughout the eastern U.S. and in the west in areas in Washington, south through the mountains in California into central Mexico.

Habitat

They live in marshes, meadows, riversides and along lake shores.

Body Traits

They look like the Monarch butterfly but are darker orange with thicker black veins and margins. They have white spots along the edge of their wings and in the black border. They have a wingspan of up to 3.5".

Habits

Young caterpillars make a ball of leaf bits, dung, and silk, which hangs off the leaf on which they are feeding. The dangling mass of caterpillar garbage may distract predators.

Diet

The caterpillars eat willow and poplar.

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Reproduction

Females lay eggs on the tips of willow and poplar leaves that hatching caterpillars will eat.

Butterfly (Viceroy)

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class:  Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Nymphalidae
Genus:  Limenitis
Species: L. archippus

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