Monarch Loves His Nectar

File size is large. I wanted the photo to be larger (than I usually make them) to see the detail of the Monarch Butterfy up-close.

The butterfly bush in my front yard is still blooming. In fact, it is full of blossoms, but there do not seem to be that much butterflies anymore! ;( A few, but not a lot as usual. There are lots of caterpillars still around, but I'm afraid by the time they metamorphose, that the butterfly bush won't have blooms. (Hurry up and metamorphose, caterpillars!) There are two butterfly bushes in the backyard as well...a white and pink one.

Butterfly bushes smell really lovely. I can see why butterflies (along with bees, wasps, & flies) like them as well. I like to say that what alcohol is to people, nectar is to insects.

Where I live, the butterflies fight over the buttefly bush. There are more than enough flowers for everybody, but they are so territorial. The Painted Ladies & the Monarch chase each other...and the Monarch chase the Swallowtails away. Only the Skippers are calm & left alone. Although the other day, I saw three Painted Ladies & two Monarch fighting in this "ball", and a poor Skipper was caught between the brawl! *Laughs* Beautiful as butterflies are, sometimes they can be mean to each other!

Okay, time for me to get off DA. I've been on there for a couple of hours catching up with my message centre. Time for me to draw and/or write.

Photograph taken by me, Jacqueline E. McNeese. Please do not copy nor steal this image. Do not put it on any other site. If you want to use it ask stock, please ask me first. I'll say yes. Thanks.