Posts Tagged: first of the year

Portraits of a Monarch Just Stopping By

Welcome, Danaus plexippus!  A monarch butterfly, the first of the year, fluttered through our family pollinator garden in Vacaville,...

A male monarch, Danaus plexippus, spreads its wings on a tower of jewels (Echium wildpretii) in Vacaville, Calif. on Sunday, May 23. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male monarch, Danaus plexippus, spreads its wings on a tower of jewels (Echium wildpretii) in Vacaville, Calif. on Sunday, May 23. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The monarch lands on a mallow, Althaea officinalis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The monarch lands on a mallow, Althaea officinalis. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The monarch took a liking to a yellow rose, "Sparkle and Shine," related to the Julia Child rose. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The monarch took a liking to a yellow rose, "Sparkle and Shine," related to the Julia Child rose. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The monarch touched down on a succulent, hens-and-chicks (when it blooms, it's known as a "rooster." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The monarch touched down on a succulent, hens-and-chicks (when it blooms, it's known as a "rooster." (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The monarch stayed on the ear of a cat (garden sculpture) for about five minutes. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The monarch stayed on the ear of a cat (garden sculpture) for about five minutes. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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