---
title: "Monarchvlinder"
description: "Danaus plexippus — Insecten en spinnen. The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/nl/animal/monarch
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Monarchvlinder

> Danaus plexippus — Insecten en spinnen. The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae.

- Scientific name: *Danaus plexippus*
- Category: `insects` (Insecten en spinnen)
- Habitats: `grassland` (Weiden en velden), `urban` (Steden en tuinen)
- iNaturalist observations: 546703
- Wikidata: [Q212398](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q212398)
- iNaturalist taxon: [48662](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/48662)

## Names

- en: Monarch
- de: Monarch
- es: Mariposa monarca
- fr: Monarque
- nl: Monarchvlinder
- pt: Borboleta-monarca

## Countries with the most observations

US (393239), CA (78419), MX (20914), AU (9371), NZ (5335), ES (2296), CO (1968), PT (1332), CR (1013), PE (937), EC (721), GT (481)

## Summary

The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae. Other common names, depending on region, include milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black-veined brown. It is among the most familiar of North American butterflies and an iconic pollinator, although it is not an especially effective pollinator of milkweeds. Its wings feature an easily recognizable black, orange, and white pattern, with a wingspan of 8.9–10.2 cm (3.5–4.0 in). A Müllerian mimic, the viceroy butterfly, is similar in color and pattern, but is markedly smaller and has an…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_butterfly

## Photo

![Monarchvlinder](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/monarch/medium.jpg)

Photo: Dave West · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/101410048

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/monarch?lang=nl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).