Monarch Caterpillar Munching Milkweed

Four large leaves from a milkweed plant are shown along with one cluster of flower buds. A black, white, and yellow striped monarch caterpillar feasts on one of the leaves, having consumed approximately one third of the leaf. In the background are green prairie grasses.
Photo By/Credit
Courtney Celley/USFWS
Date Shot/Created
06/20/2019
Media Usage Rights/License
Public Domain
Image
Milkweed plants are especially important to monarch caterpillars; they provide food and a safe place to create their chrysalis.
Ecosystem
Prairie
Recreational Activity
Wildlife watching
Photography
Species
Danaus plexippus
Asclepias syriaca
Staff
Courtney Celley
Subject tags
Flowering plants
Insects
Pollinators