SINCE 1828
monarch butterfly
nounDefinition of monarch butterfly
: a large migratory American butterfly (Danaus plexippus) that has orange-brown wings with black veins and borders and a larva that feeds on milkweed
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The monarch butterfly will go extinct quickly, possibly as soon as the next year or two. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Monarch Butterflies Are on the Verge of Extinction," 17 Jan. 2019 Among the things that otherwise wouldn’t get done: monarch butterfly tagging; a pollinator enhancement program; and dock upgrades. — Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Women in Preservation teaches construction skills on Door County's Plum Island," 7 June 2018 Groups across the state are joining forces to save some of Wisconsin’s favorite residents: monarch butterflies. — Anna Groves, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "They're beautiful — and in danger. Now, a huge effort focuses on saving monarch butterflies," 13 July 2018 Presentation on milkweeds and an update on the status of the monarch butterfly, followed by a tour of the Monarch Trail. — Elaine Rewolinski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "A listing of home and garden events for the Milwaukee area (Summer 2018 edition)," 4 July 2018 The Fowler family has milkweed on its property where monarch butterflies lay their eggs, Ashley Fowler said. — Gloria Casas, Elgin Courier-News, "Inaugural monarch festival raises butterfly awareness in Kane County," 23 June 2018 Winter campers can observe thousands of monarch butterflies clustered in the neighboring eucalyptus grove. — Sunset, "13 Best Beach Camping Spots," 22 Jan. 2018 A year later, plants such as woolgrass bulrush, brome hummock sedge, giant bur-reed, marsh marigold, queen-of-the-prairie and spike gayfeather are attracting dragonflies and monarch butterflies. — Patrick M. O'connell, chicagotribune.com, "A 'wild mile' on the Chicago River? It might be closer than you think," 22 June 2018 Officials said the number of monarch butterflies and milkweed species in Arizona has increased, according to garden’s website. — Melina Zuñiga, azcentral, "Got milkweed? Desert Botanical Garden's program could help save Monarch butterflies," 9 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'monarch butterfly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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