Wanderlust – Lesser Wandering Butterfly by Katie Asplin

Wanderlust – Lesser Wanderer butterfly (Danaus petilia)

The tawny-orange Lesser Wanderer butterfly is a common sight on flowering shrubs around Australia year-round, particularly in late summer and autumn. Like their larger relatives, the Monarch butterfly, Lesser Wanderer caterpillars feed on native cotton bushes and introduced milkweed. The caterpillars rely on nature’s warning colours of yellow, white and black to advertise their toxicity and protect themselves from predators while feeding.