Here are some great shots of a new Monarch Butterfly taken by Goina of Aoteraroa.co.nz
The Monarch has a wingspan of between 8.9–10.2 cm. The upper side of the wings is tawny-orange, the veins and margins are black, and in the margins are two series of small white spots. The fore wings also have a few orange spots near the tip. The underside is similar but the tip of the fore wing and hind wing are yellow-brown instead of tawny-orange and the white spots are larger.
The male has a black patch of androconial scales responsible for dispersing pheromones on the hind wings, and the black veins on its wing are narrower than the female’s. The male is also slightly larger.
Like all insects the Monarch has six legs, however it uses only four of its legs as it carries its two front legs against its body.
The eggs are creamy white and later turn pale yellow. They are elongate and subconical, with approximately 23 longitudinal ridges and many fine traverse lines. A single egg weighs about 0.46 milligrams , and measures about 1.2 millimetres high and 0.9 millimetres wide.
The caterpillar is banded with yellow, black, and white stripes. The head is also striped with yellow and black. There are two pairs of black filaments, one pair on each end of the body. The caterpillar will reach a length of 5 cm.
The chrysalis is blue-green with a band of black and gold on the end of the abdomen. There are other gold spots on the thorax, the wing bases, and the eyes.
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They’re just exquisite – The day I moved into my new house at least 6 of them sat for a half hour or so enjoying the poinsettia planted outside the living room window – We managed to get several photo’s – It’s just got to be a good omen.