the Monarch butterfly is quite well known for this behavior. The male courts every flying object of approx. the right size. (Then, probably recognises females by odor.) The female is the knocked to the ground and "raped". The courtship behavoir in Monarchs is like that. This can cause a considerable damage to the non-Monarch female butterfly population in butterfly gardens. The same behavoir can be seen in the wild, but rarely, as there is usually enough space for an escape.
Hello BugFolk,
the Monarch butterfly is quite well known for this behavior. The male courts every flying object of approx. the right size. (Then, probably recognises females by odor.) The female is the knocked to the ground and "raped". The courtship behavoir in Monarchs is like that. This can cause a considerable damage to the non-Monarch female butterfly population in butterfly gardens. The same behavoir can be seen in the wild, but rarely, as there is usually enough space for an escape.
MerleundMerlin 2 months ago