State Butterfly of Vermont
- Scientific Name
- Danaus plexippus
- Adopted
- 1987
- Status
- Official state insect
- Legislation
- 1987, No. 72, § 1, eff. June 8, 1987, codified as 1 V.S.A. § 505
What Is the State Butterfly of Vermont?
The monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, is Vermont's official state butterfly. The Vermont General Assembly designated it in 1987.
Monarchs breed in Vermont each summer rather than only passing through, and they are a separate symbol from the European honey bee, Vermont's official state insect.
About the Monarch Butterfly
A monarch has bright orange wings crossed by thick black veins, with a black border dotted with two rows of small white spots.
Adult monarchs have a wingspan of about 3.5 to 4 inches, one of the larger butterflies seen in Vermont.
Monarch caterpillars feed only on milkweed and take on its toxins, which make both the caterpillar and adult butterfly poisonous to predators. Their bold orange and black coloring works as a warning.
How Vermont Chose the Monarch Butterfly
The idea for a state butterfly came from Cornwall Elementary School in Middlebury, where a fifth-grade class taught by Paul Kaplan proposed naming the monarch as an official Vermont symbol.
The Vermont General Assembly took up the students' proposal and made the monarch butterfly the official state butterfly in 1987.
Where You Can Find the Monarch Butterfly in Vermont
Monarchs breed in Vermont over the summer, with adults and caterpillars most commonly seen in fields and gardens wherever milkweed grows. Sightings peak in late summer and early autumn as monarchs gather before their migration south.
