QUEEN (Danaus gilippus strigosus)

Flight Period: Multiple brooded in the Southwest U.S., Gulf states, and Mexico all seasons.  It often migrates northwest to the coast from the deserts during the autumn.  Sometimes queen butterflies may be spotted at a monarch overwintering site chasing monarchs.  Otherwise, it is considered a desert butterfly.

Range: Native to the tropics, it is now common in the Southwest, from the Gulf states south to Argentina, the Bahamas, and Antilles.

Host Plants: Milkweed (Asclepias, Calotropis, Cynanchum, Matelea, and Sarcostemma spp.).

Wing Span: 3 - 3 3/8" (76 - 86 mm).