Most anyone who lives in West Texas is familiar with the heroic journey the Monarch butterfly makes every year, as well as the beauty that species possesses. Yet there is a smaller, less colorful species of butterfly that also occurs here, and although it doesn’t make the epic flights like its cousin, it has its own identity.

The butterfly simply known as the Queen (Danaus gilippus) occurs throughout the western half of the United States, but it frequents the southern areas of this range more consistently, including West Texas. From here it inhabits the appropriate habitat through the western half of Mexico as well.

The Queen, while not as showy as its close relative the Monarch, has its own distinctive beauty. The upper wings are dark orange and are bordered in black. There are numerous small white spots randomly situated inside of this black border, as well as along the rear edges of the orange-colored wings. Each side of the orange abdomen may or may not be adorned with two black spots on the upper wings.

The head and thorax are black, and the head is littered with small white spots, while the thorax has a centered thin white line. As this butterfly lands, the wings are clasped together to reveal even more coloration as the orange color is separated by black lines that trace the veins of the wings. This species is not only a duller version of the Monarch, it is also smaller, as adult butterflies reach a maximum wingspan of barely 2 1/4 inches.       


The Queen, like other butterfly species, undergoes a four-stage life cycle that can be described as nothing short of miraculous. They begin life as an egg, which hatches after a few short days. Upon hatching, the larvae are known as caterpillars, and at this stage, the growth rate is highly accelerated. Caterpillars can eat twice their body weight in a single day and, as such, grow quickly. As they grow, they literally grow out of their skins, and they shed their outer layer of skin up to five times (known as molting) before they enter the next stage of their life cycle.

After the caterpillar finds a spot in which it feels is secure, it will pupate as it forms a protective shell about it known as a chrysalis. The chrysalis version of the Queen is pale green with large golden spots and is impressively beautiful. Inside this shell, the larvae changes into a butterfly. After about a week, the adult emerges from this shell with its wings intact, although they are crumpled into small balls on the sides of the body. The butterfly will then pump a clear fluid into the veins of its wings, causing them to expand much the same way a stick can reinforce a kite.

Upon reaching maturity, the Queen will immediately begin searching for food, water and a mate. After mating, the males will continue their search for other receptive females, while the females will begin to look for a site suitable to lay eggs so a brand new life cycle can begin.

Like its close relative the Monarch, the Queen is a poisonous species of butterfly, said to be quite bitter and distasteful. As such, the Viceroy, another species of butterfly, has adapted to look like, or mimic, the Queen.


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