Butterflies usually are identified by the colors and patterns on their wings. Butterflies have four wings: The two wings near the butterfly’s head are “forewings” while the wings near the butterfly’s tail are “hindwings.” You can use the following dichotomous key to identify four common butterfly species in North America.

Butterfly dichotomous key

Based on the key, what species of butterfly is shown below?

Mystery butterfly 1
A. Papilio glaucus
B. Papilio polyxenes
C. Danaus plexippus
D. Colias philodice