A Queen stopped in
to visit my garden recently.
A Queen butterfly, that is.
Queen butterflies, Danaus Gilippus,
are cousins to the Monarch butterfly.
Queens and Monarchs
share a striking resemblance,
though Queen butterflies
have a darker brown ground color.
Queens are moderately large butterflies
with a wing span of close to three inches.
Common to the southern US,
Queens are frequently seen here in Austin
and like to feed on milkweed and
the nectar of many flowering plants.
This visitor seems to like
the blue mistflower blooms.
This visitor seems to like
the blue mistflower blooms.
Unlike the Monarchs,
Queens do not migrate long distances,
but rather travel to closer destinations with dry conditions.
Male and female Queens
share the same markings except that
the male has a a dark scent-pouch
on its dorsal hind wings.
As you can see in the photo above,
it was a male visiting my garden.
Joining
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