monarch butterfly

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. A large American butterfly (Danaus plexippus) having light orange-brown wings with black veins and white-spotted black borders, noted for its long-distance migrations and its brightly striped caterpillars that feed on the milkweed plant. Also called milkweed butterfly.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. See butterfly.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Zoöl.) 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.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. large migratory American butterfly having deep orange wings with black and white markings; the larvae feed on milkweed