Journeys›Photograph

Monarchs in the Late September San Francisco Garden

·San Francisco, California·#bay area#autumn#home#interior#monarch_butterfly
A Monarch butterfly with closed wings rests on a cluster of orange and yellow flowers.

Over in San Francisco this afternoon and the lantana had a monarch working it the whole time I stood there. Late September and they're still passing through — this one went from cluster to cluster, mostly the orange-and-yellow heads, ignoring the pink ones a few inches away.

It kept its wings folded while it fed, then opened them flat when it moved to a fresh flower, so I got a long look at both sides. Underneath is that pale straw color with the black veins; on top it's much darker, almost burnt. It let me get close enough that I could see the proboscis going into the little florets one at a time.

The lantana itself is at its best right now, more flower heads than I remember seeing on it earlier in the year. A few buds still coming on, so it may hold out a while longer for whatever monarchs are left to come through.

A monarch butterfly with folded orange and black wings rests on a cluster of orange and yellow flowers.A butterfly with orange, black, and white wings rests on a cluster of orange and yellow flowers.A monarch butterfly with orange and black wings sits on an orange and yellow flower.A blurry orange and yellow butterfly rests on a cluster of bright orange and yellow flowers, with green foliage behind.A butterfly with orange and black wings rests on a yellow flower among green leaves and other colorful flowers.An orange and black butterfly with white dots rests on yellow and orange flowers, with green leaves and pink flowers in the background.

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