I was able to get several great photos of a Monarch today. Look closely at the next few photos and you will see a Honey Bee trying to land on the flowers.
I watched the Honey Bee try several attempts to get to the flowers but the Monarch kept him away until...
he circled around the flower and the butterfly and landed on the right side. This buddleja davidii is loaded with flowers so I don't understand the need for them to both be on the same one.
Shortly after the Bee landed on the flower the Monarch took off and headed upwards landing in the Black Pine tree.
I am just now starting to see a few of the Monarchs. I have seen the Swallowtail drinking nectar for the last few weeks. Around this time the flowering plants are loaded with butterflies, but we have had less this year. Might be the changes in the weather patterns we have had this summer. I also saw a few Mission Blue Butterflies last week, they are difficult to photograph being so small. They frequent the Blue Cape Plumbago flowers which I am growing on the East bank.
“I
dance above the tawny grass
In
the sunny air,
So
tantalized to have to pass
Love
everywhere
O
Earth, O Sky, you are mine to roam
In
liberty.
I
am the soul and I have no home,
Take
care of me.”
From
The Butterfly, by Alice Archer (Sewall) James
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We have not seen monarchs in a long while. We got rid of the milk weed that they like because it is such an invasive weed. But they weren't coming to it anyway. Seems that butterflies are getting scarce or perhaps, as you say, it is the weather conditions. Great photos.
ReplyDeleteAnn, we normally have a lot of butterflies at this time of year. I have quite a few plants for them along the driveway, for nectar and also some host plants. It makes me sad to think that maybe man is at fault here.
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