Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
Butterfly 2019-117

The problem is..
It is easier to get mad
Than actually fix
The problem that is...

#butterfly #butterflies #monarch #monarchs #macro #photography #beauty #nature #photodaily #photos #thephotohour #mramsdellpics

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
Butterfly 2025-58

If one struggles to admit the mistake
Fixing it becomes even harder

#butterfly #butterflies #monarch #monarchs #macro #photography #beauty #nature #photodaily #photos #thephotohour #mramsdellpics

I thought all the #monarchs were long gone, migrated off to parts further south - in fact there’s very little butterfly activity in the garden right now as you’d expect in late November - so I was surprised to find this straggler visiting the mistflower in the front #garden bed earlier this week.

#SilentSunday #stunday #butterfly #photography #nature #insect #butterflyphotography #bloomscrolling

Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio Troilus)
Butterfly 2025-58

Doing nice things for an expected return
Is not the selfless gift some make it seem.

#butterfly #butterflies #monarch #monarchs #macro #photography #beauty #nature #photodaily #photos #thephotohour #mramsdellpics

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
Butterfly 2019-126

Seize the opportunity to reteach lessons
Taught by the people who mattered most
As they chose to do for you

#butterfly #butterflies #monarch #monarchs #macro #photography #beauty #nature #photodaily #photos #thephotohour #mramsdellpics

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
Butterfly 2025-57

If the badge still works Monday
Maybe they forgot about last week?

#butterfly #butterflies #monarch #monarchs #macro #photography #beauty #nature #photodaily #photos #thephotohour #mramsdellpics

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
Butterfly 2025-56

Water is in fact not wet
It is what makes other things wet

#butterfly #butterflies #monarch #monarchs #macro #photography #beauty #nature #photodaily #photos #thephotohour #mramsdellpics

So cool. Trackers are now so light, they can be put on butterflies and track the migration of individuals.

"PORTLAND, Ore.; November 17, 2025 — In the most comprehensive tracking study of monarch butterfly migration ever conducted, a collaboration of over 20 research and conservation organizations across four countries has successfully tracked individual monarchs over thousands of miles."

https://xerces.org/press/revolutionary-tracking-study-follows-monarch-butterflies-from-canada-to-mexico

#Butterflies #Monarchs #Migrations #Tracking #Technology

"The breakthrough is the result of a tiny solar-powered radio tag that weighs just 60 milligrams and sells for $200. Researchers have tagged more than 400 monarchs this year and are now following their journeys on a cellphone app created by the New Jersey-based company that makes the tags, Cellular Tracking Technologies.

"Most monarchs weigh 500 to 600 milligrams, so each tag-bearing migrator making the transcontinental journey is, by weight, equivalent to a half-raisin carrying three uncooked grains of rice."
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/science/monarch-butterfly-migration-tracking-sensor.html

#butterflies #RadioTracking #monarchs

🦋 Monarchs are arriving along California’s coast — and gathering in clusters for the winter.

Early counts show thousands of butterflies settling into trees at Natural Bridges, Lighthouse Field, Pacific Grove, Marin, and Pismo Beach.

Monarchs are ectothermic — they rely on sunlight for warmth. Clustering doesn’t generate heat, but it protects them from rain and wind. Each butterfly that lands signals to others: this is a good tree.

I’ll never forget the first time I looked up and realized the “leaves” I’d been staring at were butterflies. Once you see it, the trees come alive.
Swipe to see where you can responsibly view monarchs this winter!

Learn more about visiting and protecting these amazing pollinators: https://xerces.org/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-visiting-overwintering-monarchs

Subscribe for updates on monarch sightings this season at https://westernmonarchcount.org/.

📸 Photo by Cricket Raspet

#MonarchMigration #WinterWings #PollinatorPathways #CaliforniaNature #NatureRabbitHole #Nature #Wildlife #Monarchs