North American populations of the monarch butterfly, Danaus plexippus, have been found to contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids and their N-oxides. Analytical methods (TLC, GC, and GC/MS) have been developed to isolate, quantitate, and structurally elucidate the alkaloids. Examples of at least two classes of pyrrolizidine alkaloids have been identified, the macrocyclic diesters, senecionine, integerrimine, and seneciphylline, and the monoesters, echinatine, intermedine, and lycopsamine. © 1987 Birkhäuser Verlag.