20 Dollars - Elizabeth II Monarch Caterpillar

Reverse

Glass monarch caterpillar poised on a swamp milkweed plant leaf.

Script: Latin

Lettering:
20 DOLLARS 2018
CANADA
MG

Designer: Maurice Gervais

Edge

Reeded

Comment

Did you know?

• Most caterpillars are discreetly colored to camouflage themselves in their environment, but the monarch caterpillar is an exception: the larva sports bright yellow, black and white stripes to signal its toxicity to predators. It acquires this defense by feeding on milkweed, a noxious plant.
• Milkweed is the only plant on which the monarch lays its eggs. Although a hundred species grow in North America, this vital plant is becoming increasingly rare. Fortunately, the monarch can spot it stealthily, even in the middle of the city!
• When the egg hatches, the monarch larva is pale green to grayish-white. It moults four times during its growth, each time consuming the abandoned envelope before feeding again on the leaves. Its bright stripes appear at the last larval stage, when the insect measures 2.5 to 5 centimetres.
• The monarch caterpillar has two pairs of filaments on its back. These long sensory organs, which appear in the third of five larval instars, reach 1.1 centimetres (front) and 4 millimetres (rear). The caterpillar also has very short olfactory antennae near its mouth.
• There are three monarch reserves in southern Ontario: Point Pelee, Long Point and Prince Edward Point, the result of an international agreement signed in 1995 with Mexico.

Packaging

The coin is encapsulated and presented in a burgundy double-shell case featuring the Royal Canadian Mint logo. The case comes with a black protective box.

Interesting fact

Price

Values in the table are based on evaluations by sales realized on Internet platforms. They serve as an indication only for 20 Dollars - Elizabeth II (Monarch Caterpillar) 2018 coin.