What are these colorful insects?

Today we celebrate one of the most well-known species of butterflies—the monarch. Western Monarch Day is celebrated mainly in California and was made official by the California State Legislature in 2004. Monarch butterflies are about three to four inches in size, with two sets of wings, and a deep orange color with black borders and veins along with white spots on the edges. Monarchs travel from as far as Canada to escape the northern winter in the southern parts of the Pacific coast as a part of their seasonal migration.
© Mimi Ditchie/Getty Images