Ever wonder where the Monarch butterfly got its name?
Apparently, the sight of the Monarch butterfly and its orange color impressed the early settlers, who came to North America from Holland and England. So, they named it “Monarch,” after King William III, Prince of Orange, state holder of Holland, and later named King of England, according to Monarch Watch.
Another version, related by Rick Mikula in The Family Butterfly Book, surmises that the early colonists of North America thought that the gold rim around the chrysalis reminded them of the king’s crown so they named the butterfly “Monarch.”
The word chrysalis itself also has Greek origins, derived from the Greek word khrysos, meaning “gold,” in reference to the gold-colored, metallic sheen found on many butterfly pupae.
The scientific name of the Monarch, Danaus plexippus, has another origin. Danaus plexippus literally translates to “sleepy transformation“. The genus name Danaus refers to a mythical king in Greek mythology, while plexippus evokes the butterfly’s ability to undergo metamorphosis.
This name was chosen because the process of metamorphosis in the chrysalis involves a long, seemingly dormant period of significant internal transformation (metamorphosis), during which the caterpillar’s body is completely reorganized into a butterfly.
Whatever the origin of its name, the Monarch butterfly truly is royalty!
