Features: The Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) can be found in Ontario wherever there are milkweed plants for its caterpillars and wildflowers for a nectar source. Monarchs are often found on abandoned farmland and roadsides, but also in city gardens and parks. The eastern North American population migrates to Mexico each fall to overwinter at 12 sites in the central mountains. The location of these wintering sites was only discovered fairly recently, after years of study. Biologists from Toronto glued identification tags to the wings of thousands of Monarchs in the fall so that observers across Central and North America could document the migration pathway.

Status: Special Concern Provincially and Nationally

Range: In North America, the Monarch ranges from Central America to southern Canada. In Ontario, Monarchs are widespread and relatively common, especially in southern Ontario where there is much open land. Range Maps

Threats: Declines in the Ontario populations of Monarchs are due to factors on the wintering grounds and in Ontario. The main causes of decline are logging and disturbance of the overwintering sites in Mexico, and the widespread use of pesticides and herbicides in Ontario.

Protection: There is no formal protection for this species in Ontario. Three key management strategies have been identified to protect the Monarch Butterfly. Milkweeds, the larval foodplant, should be taken out of the noxious weed acts in Canada; native wildflower habitat should be protected and encouraged; and migration stopover sites should be protected from disturbance. For information on recovery initiatives for the Monarch Butterfly in Ontario, visit the Hinterland Who's Who website.

Text Sources: Crolla and Lafontaine 1996

Last Modified Date: June 2008