The viceroy butterfly is a brush-footed butterfly. Brush-footed butterflies have tiny, hairy forelegs that look more like brushes than feet and are not used for walking.
It has a wingspan of 2.5-3.5 inches (6.4-8.9 cm). It is dark orange with black veins. A row of white spots edges its wings. Its color and pattern mimic the monarch butterfly’s pattern, except for a black horizontal stripe that crosses the bottom of its back wings. The viceroy caterpillar is white and olive brown.
The viceroy caterpillar eats the leaves of willow and poplar trees. The viceroy butterfly eats dung, carrion (dead animals), fungi, and the nectar of flowers from the Asteraceae family, like goldenrods, thistles, and asters.
The viceroy mates in the afternoon. The female lays her eggs on the tips of the leaves of poplars and willows. There are usually two or three generations of viceroys born each breeding season.
Viceroy butterflies flap slowly and glide as they fly. Male viceroys use a “perch and patrol” strategy to guard their territory. They rest on a plant or the ground, then fly a short distance to another spot. If two males meet, they suddenly fly high into the air.
The viceroy and monarch were once thought to exhibit Batesian mimicry, where a harmless species mimics a toxic, bad-tasting species.
Studies conducted in the early 1990s suggest that the viceroy and the monarch are examples of Mullerian mimicry. This is when two equally toxic species mimic each other, benefiting each species.
Just goes to show you there’s always something new to discover in the natural world!
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The viceroy butterfly is found throughout New Hampshire.
The viceroy is found in most of the continental United States and in southern Canada and northern Mexico.
