Although I tend to associate Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) with milkweed, this Monarch was hungrily feeding on Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota) this past weekend at Huntley Meadows Park. I am not sure why, but I have seen significantly more Monarch butterflies this summer than in the past few years.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
Really like how the wonderful colours and design in the wings of the butterfly stand out against the dark background. Very nice shot Mike!
Thanks, Chris. The sun was pretty bright and mostly coming from the front, so getting a decent exposure was a little tricky. The background ended up a little underexposed and the plant is a little overexposed, but the butterfly color and details were most important for me to get right (or at least almost right).
I love the Monarchs here in NZ too, Mike. I was fortunate enough to be able to watch one hatch in the garden last year and take photos because they rarely sit still long enough to allow it usually…🙂…here is a link…https://42world.wordpress.com/2017/02/26/monarch-butterfly-hatching/