Monarch Butterfly - NOT!!

[Trillian Flummox]

Spotted my first two Monarchs today near the Rouge. Were they late this year?  Are their numbers just low?  Here's the photo evidence. Yes you can mock my amazing photography skills.  -kris  

[gary yankech]

haven't seen one yet this year.....usually around this time.

[Bill & Jaye]

I saw two MB last Friday May 31 near Rockton Ont.
Lets hope this years migration matches the timing of the food from the milkweeds.

[Howieh]

Hi Kris,

I can't comment on the other one but the butterfly in the photograph is actually a viceroy!

[Trillian Flummox]

Ba ha!  Glad my bad photo was useful enough for proper id.  Now I'm not sure about the other one either since they weren't together, and obviously I can't tell the difference anyway!  Are Viceroys maybe a little smaller?  What is the distinguishing feature that told you that blurry butterfly was a Viceroy?

Thanks,

Kris   :oops:

[newfoundlander61]

Here is an image I took a while back showing the difference between both species.



Top: Monarch - Milkweed Butterfly
Bottom: Viceroy - Brushfoots family of butterflies
The term mimicry is commonly applied to the resemblance of one insect (called the mimic) to another (called the model) so that a third insect or other observer is deceived into confusing the two.The Viceroy Butterfly belongs to an entirely different family of butterflies but resembles the Monarch so closely in color, shape and markings that it serves as a classical example of mimicry in nature. Both species are distasteful to predators.
Presquile Park Brighton Ontario