Thanks for sharing!

Ether you are posting about Trump, or...

This is a discussion about a photo...

If you haven't already done so, you HAVE to read Barbara Kingsolver's book "Flight Behavior"

Kingsolver really brings home the magic of being in the middle of the monarch migration. All her books are fabulous reads, the kind you want to sit in a breezy screened in summer porch and read while sipping your fav beverage and nibbling on a favored treat

https://www.amazon.com/Flight-Behavior-Novel-Barbara-Kingsolver/dp/0062124277

What were you using.. the depth of field is amazing....

It was what was closest when I saw the butterfly flitting around the garden. I am really pleased with the photo quality.

Monarch on milkweed, like peas in a pod. I'm not sure if that's a symbiotic relationship, but they're definitely associated.

A bittersweet photo. Several years ago my #2 grandson, Luke, learned about feeding butterflies in preschool. He wanted to do that so I got common milkweed seeds from a friend of my daughter, Luke planted them and when they grew we transplanted them beside the house, under my kitchen window. The following summer we had a wonderful bunch of milkweed (the only type of plant that Monarchs will lay their eggs on) and a bunch of adorable caterpillars. It was wondrous to behold-the process of watching that elegant minuscule egg hatch into a tiny caterpillar that is voracious and will eat through a milkweed plant in pretty short order. After 2-4 weeks that cat isn’t tiny-it’s big and beautiful and ready to embark on its walkabout to find a spot to form a chrysalis. And talk about gorgeous! It’s chrysalis looks like jade and gold jewelry. So pretty. After another 2-4 weeks the chrysalis begins to darken, then turns black and transparent. You can see the butterfly wings through it. When it turns black it’s time for the butterfly to eclose or emerge. It’s SO cool to watch!! Their wings are crumpled so they hang from the shell of their chrysalis to dry their beautiful wings. The grands and I have so enjoyed observing this miracle over the last few summers. We get the generation of Monarch that flies all the way to Mexico to overwinter. That’s a long way to fly from Ohio. Now the bittersweet. The lawn service that my hubs uses forgot they weren’t supposed to spray my half of the yard. Butterflies, bees and all sorts of winged creatures are harmed by that nasty stuff. My half of the yard is tucked away from his and critters are most welcome. Because of the spray the lawn service used, Ive had to cut back all of my milkweed this summer. If the caterpillars eat it they will die. I saw my first Monarch of the summer yesterday and it made me sad that the grands and I won’t be able to enjoy and marvel at the miracle of the lovely Monarch. The neighbors also won’t get to laugh at me crawling around the yard on my hands and knees searching for chrysaliads on the fence and plants! Looking forward to next summer and more beautiful butterflies.

for the education.. hope they return next year. The picture in the OP is beautiful!

Absolutely GORGEOUS shot. MAN they’re beautiful.

that someone considered planting milkweed in their suburban garden, unless it just sprung up on its own. But then I'd still be impressed that you kept it in the yard. A lot of people would just pull it out like it's a weed.

Beautiful picture.

When I first moved to this house she spotted a solitary Milkweed and I remember her saying how lucky I was, and how important it was for me to grow it for the butterflies.

Now, every year when it starts showing up, I think of her. And when I'm lucky enough to see it being visited by a Monarch, I can't help but smile.

in October. I've been at the beach a couple of years in a row at that time and been fortunate to have seen them. They are so lovely and so difficult to shoot. They are one butterfly that doesn't stay put very long when it lands. Nice shot!

so I can see them again!

I used to live in NC and miss the beaches so much. That trip sounds like a wonderful idea.

One of my favorite beaches! I need to go back for a visit.