Body Parts of a Monarch Butterfly

All 15 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Start here: 8 main parts 8

Head The first body section. It carries the eyes, the antennae and the mouthparts.
Antennae Two long sense organs on the head. A butterfly picks up most smells with its antennae.
Thorax The middle body section. It has three parts, each with a pair of legs, and the four wings are joined to the back two.
Abdomen The rear body section, long and made of segments.
Forewing The large front wing, shaped like a triangle. A butterfly has two, one on each side.
Hindwing The back wing, smaller and rounder than the forewing. A butterfly has two.
Proboscis A tongue like a drinking straw. The butterfly sucks up nectar and water through it, and curls it up when it is not feeding.
Legs A butterfly has six legs. A monarch looks as if it has four, because its two front legs are tiny and stay curled against the thorax.

Wings open 4

Club The thick tip of an antenna. Most butterflies have these knobs and most moths do not.
Wing veins Hollow tubes that run through the wings and make them strong. On a monarch they are edged in black.
Black spot (males only) Only male monarchs have this spot, one on each hindwing. It is a patch of special scales.
Scales Tiny flat scales that overlap like roof tiles and cover the wings. They give the wings their colors.

From the side 3

Compound eye A very large eye made of thousands of tiny units. A butterfly has two, one on each side of its head.
Palps Two short, scaly organs at the front of the head. The proboscis coils up between them, and they help the butterfly smell.
Tarsus (foot) The foot at the end of each leg. It grips leaves and flowers, and it can taste sweet liquids.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 in at least two of these: Monarch Watch (University of Kansas), Monarch Biology, https://www.monarchwatch.org/biology/sexing.htm; Wikipedia, Butterfly and Monarch butterfly, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly; North Carolina State University ENT 425, Order Lepidoptera; University of Kentucky Entomology, Butterflies of Kentucky; Amateur Entomologists' Society, Lepidoptera; Comstock, A Manual for the Study of Insects (1895). The sources list says which source gave what. Detail lines are in our own words. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

These are the body parts of a monarch butterfly. The page opens on the eight main parts: head, thorax, abdomen, antennae, two kinds of wing, proboscis and legs. Seven smaller parts come after.

Read the full guide

Eight main parts first, then seven small ones

Numbers 1 to 6 are on the butterfly with its wings open: head, antennae, thorax, abdomen, forewing and hindwing. Numbers 7 and 8, the proboscis and the legs, are on the side view below it. The second set adds the club of the antenna, the wing veins, the male's black spot, the scales, the compound eye, the palps and the tarsus.

For a Montessori parts of a butterfly lesson, start with the first eight parts, the set the page opens on.

Questions and answers

What are the three main body parts of a butterfly?

The head, the thorax and the abdomen. The head carries the eyes, antennae and proboscis. The thorax carries the six legs and four wings. The abdomen is the long section behind.

Is there a parts of a butterfly worksheet to print?

Yes. Print blank gives this drawing with numbered rings and a numbered line for each name. Print labeled gives the same sheet with the names filled in, to use as a key.

How many legs does a monarch butterfly have?

Six, like every insect. A monarch looks as if it has four, because its two front legs are tiny and stay curled up against the thorax.

How can you tell a male monarch from a female?

Look at the hindwings. A male has a small black spot on a vein of each one, made of special scales. A female has no spots, and the black veins on her wings are wider.

Are the body parts of a moth the same as a butterfly's?

Nearly. Both belong to one insect order, with a head, thorax, abdomen, six legs and four scaly wings. The antennae differ most: a butterfly's end in small clubs, a moth's are thread-like or feathery with no club. Most moths also rest with wings flat.