Monarch Butterfly

[jwesley]

A Monarch Butterfly, first "new" one of the year for us having left the pupa about 2 hours ago, as of this morning, on a Butterfly Bush along with a Monarch Caterpillar that's only a few days from evolving into a pupa itself. A couple of other shots follow. If interested you can see my series of photos on Monarchs from the egg, through the catepillar stages, and the pupa stages to the butterfly (roughly 10 or 12 photos) by going to
http://photographybyda.zenfolio.com/ and choosing Fauna/insects/Birth of a Monarch 04-2013 and you're welcome to look at any other photo's if you like.


001 -

002 -

003 -

and finally, #004, also a Monarch Caterpillar, but only about two days from hatching - hasn't even developed it's striking colors yet. Won't for another day or two.

004 -


Hopefully these brightened your day. . .

j.

[entwife]

beautiful pictures wesley. do you work around butterflies. the shots with butterfly and pupa are fantastic.

[jwesley]

No, don't work around them, just have an area where I have "Butterfly Weed" planted - a type of milkweed. Asclepias currassavica - Red Butterfly Weed is the type I have. A month or so back, I saw a Monarch laying eggs, and watched for the hatching/Lava. Then when the caterpillar was old enough (couple weeks) I kept tabs on it and found the cocoon, and knowing it'd emerge in about two weeks kept tabs on it (if you look at the series of pictures on my photo-site, you'll see how you know it's close) and finally saw the butterfly when it was a about an hour old, and was able to get the picture of it and one of the other caterpillars on the bush. And as of today that particular caterpillar has pupated somewhere but have not found the cocoon yet. I have several more of various sizes on the weed.

Thanks for dropping in and letting me know you did, my friend. Always enjoy your presence because you like photos like I do and I always enjoy yours too.

j

[ramfire]

Nice shot of the butterfly from different angles. What a contrast between the caterpillar and the butterfly. The picture are so clear with amazing detail

[BarryC]

simply stunning

[Liquid Bear]

Those pictures are astounding! Crystal clear and so colorful. Loved them.

Bear

[INFPoet]

My family sometimes collects monarch caterpillars in the late summer/early fall and we've been able to watch many making their chrysalises (cocoons) and hatching into butterflies - truly astounding! There haven't been as many around lately, though. Beautiful pictures which brought back the memories. Nice job, jwesley!

~INFPoet