The African Plain Tiger is one of the Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies), subfamily Danainae (Clerics and Tigers). It was originally confused with the famous American butterfly, the Monarch Danaus plexippus, so it was given the name ‘African Monarch’ but in fact it’s a totally different butterfly, even though their caterpillars look similar.

It does look a bit like a Monarch, but it’s smaller (around half the wing area), wingspan 50-75 mm as opposed to 90-100 mm, and its wings lack the black veins. The reason it’s called a ‘Plain Tiger’ is that it’s ‘plain’ orange. In Asia there are other butterflies known as Tigers that have heavy black stripes like the well-known ‘Tigger’ cat does. Our one lacks these so the word ‘plain’ serves to distinguish it from other types of ‘tiger’. It’s a conspicuous insect with a slow, wing-flapping flight at just over head height. Adults often feed on flower nectar. Males have a habit of visiting plants like Ragworts Senecio species or Heliotrope that have been injured and are emitting bitter-tasting herbivore-deterrent chemicals. They ingest the chemicals and use them to create their own predator defences. The bright orange, black, and white markings are a warning to predators that they taste nasty and are to be avoided!