This last weekend marked the end of the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden's Monarch exhibit. I was blessed to be able to visit it on the 17th of November, at 9:32am. Why 9:32am? Well, the exhibit opened at 9:30, and by 10, there were dozens of people in the small greenhouse-like enclosure where they house the butterflies. At 9:32am, the guides outnumbered the photographers (myself included in the latter). Below, are several of the better shots I was able to capture.
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| The monarchs taste with their feet, while both smelling and balancing / flight navigation with their antennae. If an antennae gets broken / damaged, they fly around in circles, until they starve. |
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| The males have more prominent spots"on the hind wings near the abdomen. |
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| I've got lantana growing in my backyard as well. Irresistible stuff for my flighted friends. |
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| The DBG guides told me that the monarchs mark the milkweed plants on which they are born, and 4 or 5 generations later (after a Canadian migration), if they are the migrating variety, their descendants will return to the exact same milkweed plant to feast and lay their eggs as well. Pretty remarkable stuff. I am glad I have a milk weed in my front yard. |
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