Monarch Butterflies are on the Move

If you live in the northern part of the United States, keep an eye on your gardens or nearby meadows for the next few weeks--the beautiful monarch butterflies have begun their migration to their winter homes in Mexico. Each year monarchs travel up to three thousand miles from the northern U.S. and Canada to Mexico where they spend the winter. The monarchs return to the north the next year. Monarchs need large amounts of energy to make this trip and so fall gardens are usually brimming with the beautiful butterflies this time of year. I plant "tithonia" plants (also called Mexican sunflower) in my garden each spring (see the photo) and that draws them like a magnet. You can buy tithonia seeds from any catalog or in most garden centers--think about planting some next spring to feed the monarchs next fall and give you plenty of opportunities to photograph them. I shot this photo with a Nikon D70s and a 55mm Micro Nikkor. The butterflies are pretty tame during feeding and I was able to shoot hundreds of frames over a two-week period.