Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Danaus plexippus

Got the chance to see another Monarch butterfly at the Calgary Zoo - they don't get many there in the ENMAX Conservatory, but I have seen one on maybe three occasions. This summer was a very unusual one here in Alberta, as we don't usually get Monarchs as far north as Calgary, but this year they travelled further north and we were seeing them in this city (and apparently north of us, too). I love their white spots on black and the yellow and orange wings.

I think the left hand end of this beautiful Monarch caterpillar is the head end : ) Seen in someone's garden after our day of botanizing at Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park, 15 July 2012. Monarchs feed on Milkweed, in this case Showy Milkweed.

Showy Milkweed is growing in someone's garden and I was lucky enough to finally see a few Monarch caterpillars. I've seen so many beautiful photos taken by other people over the years and never thought I'd get the chance to see a Monarch. This year, though, has been unusual, as people have been seeing a few of these amazing butterflies in Alberta, including in Calgary. www.monarch-butterfly.com/ I found this beautiful, time-lapse video (only four and a half minutes long) on YouTube. Worth looking at if you have a few moments to spare. "It shows the entire lifecycle of the Monarch butterfly from a tiny caterpillar hatching from an egg on a Milkweed leaf through metamorphosis to become a glorious adult butterfly. Filmed utilizing high powered microscopic cameras and time-lapse photography. Produced for the Chicago Nature Museum in Chicago, IL." youtu.be/7AUeM8MbaIk The link below is to an article by CBC News, about the surprise appearance of Monarch butterflies in Central Alberta this summer. www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/06/20/monarch-butte... If you have more free time, this is a longer video by NOVA, about the amazing 2,000-mile migration of Monarchs to a sanctuary in the highlands of Mexico. video.pbs.org/video/1063682334

Normally, in Calgary, a very rare Monarch butterfly might be spotted in the city - I'd only ever seen one, from far away. This summer has been different for some reason, with Monarchs travelling to Calgary and quite a bit further north in Alberta. The one in my photo is the fourth one I've seen this summer. Robin, a botany friend, and I had bumped into each other at the Zoo on July 24th and then gone our separate ways. I was busy photographing flowers in the zoo garden a bit later, when an excited Robin found me and let me know where there was a beautiful Monarch near by. It was enjoying the Scabius flowers. Thanks, Robin! www.monarch-butterfly.com/ I found this beautiful, time-lapse video (only four and a half minutes long) on YouTube. Worth looking at if you have a few moments to spare. "It shows the entire lifecycle of the Monarch butterfly from a tiny caterpillar hatching from an egg on a Milkweed leaf through metamorphosis to become a glorious adult butterfly. Filmed utilizing high powered microscopic cameras and time-lapse photography. Produced for the Chicago Nature Museum in Chicago, IL." youtu.be/7AUeM8MbaIk The link below is to an article by CBC News, about the surprise appearance of Monarch butterflies in Central Alberta this summer. www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/06/20/monarch-butte... If you have more free time, this is a longer video by NOVA, about the amazing 2,000-mile migration of Monarchs to a sanctuary in the highlands of Mexico. video.pbs.org/video/1063682334

I was careless and didn't quite get the whole of the identification label in my original photo, so am not sure what tropical butterfly these gorgeous chrysalisses belong to. I think it's just amazing that each has a row of tiny gold dots. Nature is so clever and beautiful : ) Seen, of course, at the Calgary Zoo. Thanks so much to Art (LeapFrog!) for the Monarch ID! Click here, if you are interested and have time, to see a photo documentary of the various stages of a Monarch, from caterpillar to butterfly. I love the way the chrysallis turns a beautiful shade of blue. www.linknot.com/Magic-Garden/Monarch-chrysalis.htm Two short, amazing videos of the transformation from caterpillar to chrysallis, from clayruth.com/pupa.html . clayruth.com/Content/Pupation.wmv clayruth.com/Content/Contraction.wmv

We rarely get Monarch butterflies in the wild here, though you do hear the very occasional report. Wonderfully, the Calgary Zoo butterfly room had a Monarch butterfly, so at least I was able to see what a Monarch really looked like and photograph it. We were so lucky last summer to see a Viceroy butterfly in the wild (my very first sighting), which looks very similar to a Monarch. "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. Since the 19th century, it has been found in New Zealand, and in Australia since 1871 where it is called the Wanderer. In Europe, it is resident in the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira, and is found as an occasional migrant in Western Europe. Its wings feature an easily recognizable orange and black pattern, with a wingspan of 8.9–10.2 cms (3½–4 in). (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 in the Americas which spans the life of three to four generations of the butterfly." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_(butterfly)