Monarch and milkweed

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Monarch and milkweed

July 13, 2018 by Mike Powell

Whenever I see a patch of milkweed I will usually stop and and watch and wait. Milkweed attracts such a colorful cast of insect characters that it reminds me a little of the Mos Eisley Cantina in the original Star Wars movie.

My patience was rewarded this past Saturday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge when a Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) stopped by for a visit and I was able to capture this image.

Posted in Butterflies, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 50D, Danaus plexippus, Monarch, monarch butterfly, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 180mm, Woodbridge VA | 11 Comments

11 Responses

on July 13, 2018 at 6:33 am | Reply Dan Antion

Hopefully no blaster battles at this hang out. Great capture.
- on July 13, 2018 at 6:59 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. I am just happy that they serve “their kind.”
on July 13, 2018 at 4:03 pm | Reply Reed Andariese

Nice Mike! And it is not a Dragonfly! What Happened!!
Just kidding!!
on July 13, 2018 at 5:02 pm | Reply New Hampshire Garden Solutions

Beautiful! I hope to see many this year.
on July 14, 2018 at 3:12 pm | Reply joyroses13

Oh yes, such a beautiful close up of a lovely butterfly, (and its not being eaten by a dragonfly. :))
on July 15, 2018 at 3:53 pm | Reply Robert Kirkendall

I love seeing the monarchs here in Santa Cruz.
- on July 16, 2018 at 6:36 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  There have been several years when I didn’t see any Monarchs at all for extended periods of time and I feared that their presence here was at risk, so I am thrilled whenever I spot one now.
  - on July 16, 2018 at 12:36 pm Robert Kirkendall
    
    Out here monarchs feed on milkweed, which is a CA native but lots of people consider them weeds and pull them out.
  - on July 16, 2018 at 4:04 pm Mike Powell
    
    There is a big push by some conservation groups to get people to plant milkweed, the plant on which Monarchs depend. It’s sad to hear of people pulling up milkweed.
on July 19, 2018 at 2:54 am | Reply svtakeiteasy

Great image, Mike!
- on July 19, 2018 at 5:27 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Chris. I don’t have the chance to shoot as many butterflies as I do dragonflies, but I love it when I have the chance to capture an image of one.