Monarch Vocabulary
| Abdomen | the last of an insect's three main body parts on which spiracles and reproductive organs are located. |
| Annual | a plant that lives one year only. |
| Antennae | sensory organs located on an insect's head used mostly for smell and hearing. |
| Chitin | substance produced by an insect which hardens and forms its exoskeleton. |
| Chrysalis | the pupa, or stage of a butterfly's life cycle between larva and adult. |
| Compound Eye | ">eye composed of many units, each with a lens or facet. |
| Cocoon | the silken case spun by many moth larvae as a protection for their pupae. |
| Cremaster | the hook-like process on the end of a chrysalis that attaches the pupa to the stem, twig, etc. |
| Entomology | the study of insects. |
| Exoskeleton | supporting structure on the outside of the body of insects and other invertebrates. |
| Frass | the solid waste droppings of a caterpillar. |
| Head | the first segment of an insect's body on which eyes, mouth, and antennae are found. |
| Instar | the period between two molts. |
| Larva | the immature stage in metamorphosis between the egg and pupa (plural: larvae). Butterfly larvae are referred to as caterpillars. |
| Lepidoptera | "scaley wing"—the order, or classification group, to which butterflies and moths belong. |
| Mandible | mouthpart (jaw) on the head of the larva and some adult insects. |
| Metamorphosis | the process by which an animal changes in size and form during development. |
| Molting | process of shedding old exoskeleton to make way for new. |
| Nectar | the sweet liquid produced by plants which some insects drink. |
| Palp | sensory appendage on the head used like a tongue. (plural: palpi) |
| Perennial | a plant that blossoms annually; continuous; undying. |
| Pesticides | chemicals used to poison insects or other pests. |
| Prolegs | "false" legs on abdominal segments of larva. |
| Proboscis | structure like a drinking straw used to suck up nectar or other fluids. |
| Scale | shingle-like covering on the membrane of the wing that gives butterflies and moths their colorful patterns. |
| Spinneret | organ on the bottom of the larva head used to spin silk. |
| Spiracles | holes along the side of an insect's body through which it breathes. |
| Tentacles | sensory organs found at the front and rear of the Monarch larva, also called filaments. |
| True legs | appendages located on the thoracic segments of a larva. |
| Thorax | the second body segment of an insect, between the head and abdomen, on which wings and legs are located. |
| Vein | a thin, mostly hollow structure in the wing. |
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