Are some Butterflies territorial?

[flgflowers]

For the past couple weeks I have noticed that when a Monarch comes
into my butterfly garden the Gulf Fritillaries (usually 2 at a time) will go after it and flutter around it. Its almost like they are trying to
run it off. The Gulf Fritillaries are the only ones that do this.

Has anyone else had this experience?

[Keith Petrosky]

I would think it's possible, especially if 2 males are after 1 female.

[Sarah]

Yes, some butterflies are territorial. They will "patrol" patches of plants that are good nectar sources so they can mate with the females when they come in to feed. Monarchs don't really patrol. They don't use anything special to determine whether it's a female monarch or not, so they will attempt to mate with anything that looks similar to a monarch. Once they realize things aren't quite working, whether it's due to the fact that the other butterfly isn't a monarch or isn't a female, they give up.

[He. katie]

skippers, though small act the same way. I saw one tackle a monarch, or try.

[Jeanine L. Shaffer]

This past summer while I was working in my flowers there was a male Monarch keeping watch over a Tuberosa Milkweed plant. At that time we also had a lot of Yellow Tiger Swallowtails here. Every time the Swallowtails tried to feed on the plant the Monarch came rushing in and made them leave. He would go up in a Crepe Myrtle bush near by where he couldn't be seen and as soon as the swallowtails came he went after them. I had never seen this before and had a good laugh.

Jeanine--Monarch Waystation 381