Monarch Butterfly On Lantana
We were a stop along her journey.
NATURE PHOTOGRAPHYPHOTOGRAPHYMONARCH BUTTERFLYBUTTERFLY
This image has been added to all of the PRINTS galleries.
I captured this image of a Monarch butterfly as she was passing through one day. She was beautiful. There was nothing missing from any of her wings. When I am capturing images of butterflies, missing wing parts is an issue. That can be overcome with clever positioning. But I did not have to worry about that with her. I was able to frame her in any pose I could, with the little time I had. After taking some nourishment from some of the Lantana flowers she resumed her journey and flew off.
Around here, July is notorious for being hot. So far in 2026, this July has not let us down. My weather station has registered 101 degrees twice already. And to top it all off, we are suffering from drought conditions too. In spite of all of this, the butterfly bushes are starting to bloom. The Zebra and Tiger Swallowtail butterflies have begun to visit. The two birdbaths need to be refilled at least every day. It can be rather humorous watching birds take baths. Amazing photo opportunities are presenting themselves. I just wish that there was a bit more shade out there though. That July sun is truly hot.
