Ever wonder how to tell male and female Monarch apart? Maybe, the thought never crossed your mind. Well, in order to capture the lifecycle of the Monarch you would need to know your male from your female.
How to Tell Male and Female Monarch Apart
Female Monarchs
Female Monarch Butterflies are the eggs layers. They lay their eggs on the underside of milkweed plants. So, it is important to know how to spot them if you want to track the lifecycle of the Monarch.
The female’s webbing is thicker than the male and she has no identifying wing spots as the male does. Although, sometimes the webbing toward the outer segments appears to have spots. Look toward the male picture at the bottom to see where the pheromone spots are found.
f you have a Monarch without clearly visible black spots behind each tail wing, you have a female Monarch.
Keep an eye out for her around all the varieties of Milkweed plants to see when she lays her eggs. Right after mating, she lays one egg on the underside of each plant she visits. Then you can watch the caterpillars hatch in 3-6 days and grow and grow, and grow.
Additional Reads:
Lifecycle of the Monarch
Collect & Plant Milkweed
Another Caterpillar Found On Milkweed
Male Monarchs
Males have a clearly visible black spot on each hind wing from which pheromones are released to attract females. Females choose mates according to scent and visual appearance. If you look closely at the bottom body segment in the webbing you will see the spots.
If you have a Monarch without clearly visible black spots behind each tail wing, you have a female Monarch.
Oh, And Just To Tell Ya
Now that you know how to tell the male and female monarch apart, it is time for one last lesson. The monarch butterfly is often mistaken for the viceroy butterfly.
They look almost identical, except for a few telltale signs that easily tell them apart. The Viceroy is a tad smaller and has a black line running through its wings. Sometimes the line is only noticeable on its lower hind wing.
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