The Monarch Butterfly

About two years ago a fellow Homeschooler blessed me with a butterfly bush A.K.A a Buddleia.  I brought it home with me and planted the plant in my front yard.  By the end of that autumn season it doubled in size.  I trimmed it this past spring season and the bush grew to be triple in size.  The blooms are purple and white and full of beauty.  Now that the autumn season has returned, many of the blooms have withered away.  However, there are a few flowering blooms left.  Every now and then I check the bush for  insect activity, especially for butterflies. This past  Sunday to my surprise, I found three beautiful Monarch butterflies hanging upside down and all around by their legs and sucking the nectar with their proboscis. I was so excited! Naturally, I grabbed my camera and started shooting.

Here are a few facts about this beautiful creature.

• The Monarch butterfly can be found throughout North, Central, and South America.
• Its wing span is about 4 inches long.
• The coloring of its wings warns predators of the insects bitter taste.
• Monarch butterflies gather together in the autumn months and begin their migration southward over winter.  They travel for about 1800 miles.
• When they finally reach their destination it's time to head back north.
• On the Monarchs return journey, they stop and deposit  eggs and then sadly die.
• The eggs then hatch and go through the full growing cycle until they become a butterfly and continue the journey from where their parents left off.

Monarch Butterflies are delicate, beautiful and very tough. What they are able to do in their life span is miraculous.  One of God's remarkable creatures to say the least.