Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) feeding on blue vervain (Verbena hastata) flowers. This butterfly is native to the Americas, Australia and New Zealand. It has spread from this range and is also found in the Canary Islands and western Europe. Its striking black, white and orange colouration serves to warn predators (mainly birds) that it is poisonous. It gains its poison from milkweed, a plant that is the sole food source for monarch caterpillars. Photographed in Fairfield County, Ohio, USA.