Danais Plexippus

monarch butterfly \mon"arch but"ter*fly\, n. (Zool.)
   A very large red and black butterfly ({Danais Plexippus})
   having striking orange-brown wings with black veins in a
   reticulated pattern; -- called also {milkweed butterfly} and
   {monarch}. Its larvae feed on the leaves of the milkweed.
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Monarch \Mon"arch\, n. [F. monarque, L. monarcha, fr. Gr. ?, ?;
   mo`nos alone + ? to be first, rule, govern. See {Archi-}.]
   1. A sole or supreme ruler; a sovereign; the highest ruler;
      an emperor, king, queen, prince, or chief.
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            He who reigns
            Monarch in heaven, . . . upheld by old repute.
                                                  --Milton.
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   2. One superior to all others of the same kind; as, an oak is
      called the monarch of the forest.
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   3. A patron deity or presiding genius.
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            Come, thou, monarch of the vine,
            Plumpy Bacchus.                       --Shak.
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   4. (Zool.) A very large red and black butterfly ({Danais
      Plexippus}); -- called also {milkweed butterfly} and
      {monarch butterfly}.
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