How can you tell a monarch from a viceroy butterfly?

Viceroy butterflies, which are not poisonous, copy the monarch’s colouring to protect themselves from predators. While a bird may not notice the difference, we can easily tell a viceroy from a monarch—viceroys have a black band across their hind wings. Viceroys also lack the wanderlust that monarchs possess—these copycats don’t migrate.

Monarch butterfly
Monarch butterfly
Viceroy butterfly
Viceroy butterfly

 

Photos: Ken Sproule