Monarch 
Danaus plexippus

Monarch, majestic as its name, is a familiar sight in the blue October skies. It is common in spring and fall during its migration but is uncommon statewide in summer. In 2018, a winter roost was located on St. Catherine’s Island (Liberty County) in a stand of pines (fide Christa Hayes). Adult females migrate north through Georgia in March and April and lay eggs along the journey. Freshly emerged adults have been recorded in mid-May in Screven County (John Abbot) and DeKalb County (Paul Kight), and there are scattered records in June, July and August. In fall, beginning in September, Monarchs are more numerous than in spring due to a heavier migration. In early October, an adult that had been banded in Ontario 18 days earlier was photographed in Fulton County by G.E. DuPree.(Harris, Butterflies of Georgia, 1972). The hostplants are various milkweeds (Asclepias), including butterfly-weed (A. tuberosa), common milkweed (A. syriaca) and swamp milkweed (A. incarnata). Early Date: 6 March (Grady County); Late Date: December 16 (Liberty County, St. Catherine’s Island). Conservation Status: In 2014, a petition was filed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the Monarch under the Endangered Species Act. The agency found the protection may be warranted and published a 90-day substantial finding in the Federal Register on December 31, 2014. Assessment work is still under way to determine whether protection under the Act is warranted.