Yesterday morning, Blanco Middle School teacher Pam Meier and her ecology class walked over from campus to visit our Wildscape. One student asked about the difference between monarchs and viceroys. I said I wasn't sure, but I thought that we didn't have any viceroys.
Just to double check, I took a lot of photos a while ago so I could find out. The answer is....no, we have no viceroys, just lots of beautiful monarchs and queens, too.
How do I know? The viceroy can be identified by a black line across its hind wings,
which monarch butterflies do not have. The viceroy is also a bit smaller
than the monarch. See comparison photos below on the National Wildlife Federation's blog.
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| Now here are my photos....monarchs (female left) |
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| Monarchs (male, right, with black scent spots on hind wings) |
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| Monarch |
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| Monarch |
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| Monarch, female |
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| Monarch |
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| Monarch, female |
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| Monarch (sulphur nectaring below) |
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| Queen, female |
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| Queen, male (with black scent spots) |
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