🦋 Common green darner vs Monarch butterfly 🦋
The common green darner and the monarch butterfly are about the same size. The common green darner is about twice as fast as the monarch butterfly.
| Row | 🦋 Common green darner | 🦋 Monarch butterfly |
|---|---|---|
| Top speed The common green darner is about twice as fast as the monarch butterfly. | 37 mph60 km/h1 | 9.9 to 30 mph16 to 48 km/h2 |
| Weight We don't have a checked number for the common green darner yet. | no checked number yet | 0.018 oz0.5 g3 |
| Lives We don't have a checked number for the common green darner yet. | no checked number yet | 0.04 to 0.1 years0.04 to 0.1 years3 |
| Eats The common green darner eats bugs; the monarch butterfly eats plants. | mosquitoes, flies, midges and other small flying insects | nectar from flowers; its caterpillars eat only milkweed |
| Lives in They can live in the same kind of place. | ponds, marshes and meadows across North America, with some flying south for winter | across North America, flying to Mexico and California for the winter |
Which one? Common green darner or monarch butterfly
🏁 Who would win the race?
The common green darner gets to the tree first. Over a short dash it is about twice as fast as the monarch butterfly.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed.
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Getting the animals ready…
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The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/green-darner-vs-monarch-butterfly
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service, Species Spotlight: Dragonflies, checked 30 October 2026.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Monarch Butterfly Festival page, checked 30 October 2026.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, species profile, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, checked 30 October 2026.