What Do Queen Butterflies Eat?

Milkweed

• Queen butterflies consume the nectar of milkweeds. There are many species of milkweeds, each with its own characteristics, but the plant generally consists of a three- to six-inch stem with green oblong leaves and flower bulbs. Milkweed can be found throughout the United States. Widespread milkweed species include the butterfly milkweed, common milkweed and green comet milkweed. Milkweeds contain a toxin, cardiac glycosides, that are stored in the butterflies' body after consumption. The toxin is not harmful to the butterflies but helps in their survival as the toxin is distasteful to predators.

Larvae

• While queen butterflies can feed off the nectar of various flowers as adults after metamorphosis, they initially eat only milkweeds. Queen butterflies lay their larvae on milkweeds. As caterpillars, they continue to feed off of the milkweed and milkweed vine. A close relative of the queen butterfly, the monarch butterfly, also lay their larvae and feed off of milkweeds exclusively as caterpillars.

Fogfruit

• Queen butterflies also consume the nectar of fogfruit. Fogfruit are composed of small flowers, which can be white, pink or lavender, clustered around a cone at the top of a long stem. The eight species of fogfruit can be found in different parts of the United States with the exception of several states, mostly the ones bordering Canada. The most common fogfruit species are wedgeleaf, lanceleaf fogfruit and turkey tangle fogfruit.

Shepherd's Needle

• Another flower that queen butterflies drink nectar from is shepherd's needle. Shepherd's needle is found mostly on the coastal states such as California, Florida and Texas. Shepherd's Needle is an upright plant with sprawling branches topped with white flowers that bloom in the summer. The plant is found frequently along roadsides and uncultivated fields.