Kentucky State Insect
Viceroy Butterfly (common name) Limenitis archippus (scientific name) Overview The viceroy is a large, dark orange butterfly with black veins and a row of white spots on the border of its wings. It is similar to the monarch butterfly except for a black horizontal stripe that runs across the edge of its back wings. The viceroy was designated the state butterfly of Kentucky in 1990. Close-up STATUS Official PHYSICAL DETAILS Wingspan: The wingspan of the adult ranges from 2 1/2 to 3 3/8 inches (6.3–8.6 cm). Larvae: The caterpillar's colors range from bright orange to olive green and dark brown. It has white spots, orange patches, and two bristly bumps on the back of its head. LIFESPAN Adult viceroys have short life spans. Those that emerge during early summer have the shortest life spans, just around two to five weeks. HABITAT Viceroys prefer moist, open, or shrubby areas like dewy meadows, marshes, ponds, lakes, agricultural lands, and ditches by the roadside. Willow, cottonwood, and poplar trees are their favorite habitats. Range: The viceroy is found in North America as far south as central Mexico. Flight period: Viceroys take two or three flights per year. Conservation status: Endangered BEHAVIOR Viceroy caterpillars make shelters from leaves during the winter. The viceroy can tuck in the tube it uses to suck nectar when it is not in use. Females lay eggs on the tips of the host plant’s leaves. Three generations of viceroys are born per year. The viceroy’s flight pattern is a slow flap-and-glide. If one male viceroy meets another, both will abruptly soar high into the air.  DIET Adults: The first generation of viceroys born during colder, wetter seasons feed on carrion, animal dung, and rotting fungi. The later one or two generations feed on flower nectar. Larvae: The caterpillars eat their egg cases soon after hatching. They then start to feed on leaves of the milkweed, cottonwood tree, and willow tree. TRIVIA The viceroy keeps predators at bay by mimicking something throughout its life: its eggs look like natural bumps (or "galls") on leaves; the caterpillar looks similar to bird droppings; and the adult butterfly looks like the inedible monarch or queen butterfly. Like other brush-footed butterflies, the viceroy also has two small forelegs, used for tasting rather than walking.
	Click to enlarge an image Viceroy Butterfly Viceroy Butterfly Emerging from Chrysalis Close-up of Viceroy Butterfly CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Lepidoptera Family: Nymphalidae Subfamily: Danainae Genus: Limenitis Species: L. archippus
	Author: World Trade Press