Still at Blue Ridge Parkway, I took this photo at one of the overlooks.
I am not familiar with this kind of butterfly, but it would be great to see them. I think they will abound in the spring or summer. It would be great if we could visit the park again this spring or summer. If not, I just hope I will be lucky enough to see this specie in our yard. I do wonder if that will happen though. Well, aren’t butterflies just everywhere? We’ll see about that!
As per Wikipedia:
The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae), in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies. Its wings feature an easily recognizable orange and black pattern, with a wingspan of 8.9–10.2 centimetres (3½–4 in).[6] (The Viceroy butterfly has a similar size, color, and pattern, but can be distinguished by an extra black stripe across the hind wing.) Female Monarchs have darker veins on their wings, and the males have a spot called the “androconium” in the center of each hind wing[7] from which pheromones are released. Males are also slightly larger.
The Monarch is famous for its southward migration and northward return in summer from Canada to Mexico and Baja California which spans the life of three to four generations of the butterfly.
