Early Monday morning at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge I spotted my first Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) of the spring. It seemed really skittish and flew up into the trees. I was happy to be able to capture this image from an unusual angle—it is not often that I photograph a butterfly while aiming my camera in an upwards direction.
Some years I see only a few Monarchs and I read quite often about their threatened habitats. I am therefore excigted each time that I am blessed to see one of these beautiful butterflies.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Benjamin is very excited about the butterfly too! He says : “He’s an awesome Monarch Butterfly!” We like the way the butterfly is perched on the leaf. Benjamin always loves the details that are so visible in the enlarged photo; the head, legs, antenna, and the patterns on the wings. The butterfly is highlighted beautifully by the surrounding soft colors. Thank-you, Mr. Mike!!
Glad to see you both like the butterfly shot. It’s always special to see Monarch Butterflies, and even more so when it is the first one of the season.
Nice shot Mike.
Very nice angle and background for this beauty! I do hope you, and we, get to see many more this year.
Been seeing monarchs around here as well.
That’s great to hear! I love Monarchs!
Beautiful ! 🙂
Thanks, Cristina.
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