Adult Food Sources
Adult monarchs have been seen on a number of different nectar plants. A list of nectar resources exploited by monarch butterflies is:
- Apocynum cannabinum - Indian hemp
- Asclepias californica - California milkweed
- Asclepias incarnata - swamp milkweed
- Asclepias syriaca - common milkweed
- Asclepias tuberosa - butterfly weed
- Aster sp. - asters
- Cirsium sp. - thistles
- Daucus carota - wild carrot
- Dipsacus sylvestris - teasel
- Erigeron canadensis - horseweed
- Eupatorium maculatum - spotted joe-pye weed
- Eupatorium perfoliatum - common boneset
- Hesperis matronalis - dame's rocket
- Medicago sativa - alfalfa
- Solidago sp. - goldenrod
- Syringa vulgaris - lilac
- Trifolium pratense - red clover
- Vernonia altissima - tall ironweed
Males will also take in moisture and minerals from damp soil and wet gravel, a behavior known as mud-puddling. The monarch has also been noticed puddling at an oil stain on pavement.
Read more about this topic: Monarch Butterfly
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