My first Monarch images; from Tallulah Gorge

GAJoe

Senior Member
Had to work in Clayton so I packed the camera to stop by the Gorge on the way home. Didn't find what I was looking for but there was one area that was loaded with Monarchs. I counted five in one bush. I don't recall seeing them before in person. Think I'd remember seeing that black with white pokidots.
 

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pdsniper

Senior Member
wow those are beautiful nice job, question I know there is a butter fly that looks like a monarch how do you tell the difference ?
 

wvdawg

Moderator
Staff member
Nice captures! Pretty bugs!
 

GAJoe

Senior Member
wow those are beautiful nice job, question I know there is a butter fly that looks like a monarch how do you tell the difference ?

I didn't realize there were any so close until you asked and I looked it up. These are the only I've seen that were black with white pokidots. If these had been Viceroy's I would have not spotted the difference. But these are Monarchs. To see the difference go see:
http://b50ym1n8ryw31pmkr4671ui1c64....files/2015/03/Butterflies-branded-credits.jpg
 

GLS

Classic Southern Gentleman
Great photos, GAJoe (as usual). PDsniper, at a distance, a Gulf Fritillary has a superficial resemblance (to me, anyway) to a Monarch. It's smaller than a Monarch and the markings are different. Here's a page of images. Note the caterpillar stage. It looks ferocious but is harmless--other than the fact that it annually strips the leaves off its primary host plant, my Passion Flower vine. Another plant in my yard, an Asiatic milkweed in the asclepias family, had the larvae of the Monarch strip it completely of leaves. It bounced back, and adult Monarch's flocked to it.
Here's the Gulf Fritillary link of images:
https://www.google.com/search?q=gul...=bG_JWezTF8fCmwHH863oCw#imgrc=Utg8fmKXA2wOXM:
 

pdsniper

Senior Member
My 93yr ol mom has been raising them down in Florida for the last year now my sister got her started on it they both have Milk weed bushes at their homes to attract the Monarchs in, it is so cool what they are doing
 

rip18

Senior Member
Very cool! They're not always easy to photograph.


You can tell the difference between male and female monarchs by the presence or absence of a little black dot where the veins on the hindwing meet.

You can tell the difference between the monarch and the viceroy by the pattern on the hindwing.
 
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