"This ragged male monarch was watched by multiple observers about 20 meters away for more than 30 minutes nectaring on a blooming willow in native forest along the edge of lake at the Minnesota Zoo. Little else is in bloom. Conditions have been warm enough for a few weeks for some migrants (turkey vultures, green darner dragonflies, and hooded mergansers also seen today) to begin moving into east-central Minnesota."

Did the monarch come from Mexico?
Based on details in the photo people weighed in with their perspectives:

• Dr. Chip Taylor of Monarch Watch
  "The wings are too bright for typical April wings — and for wings of butterflies thought to be returning migrants. It's not impossible, but the wings do seem exceptionally bright. Also, it appears to be a male, which in itself would be remarkable since relatively few overwintering males — let alone females — make it back to 45N."

• Elizabeth Howard of Journey North
  "The wings are bright, but when I zoomed in I noticed how tattered they are. The date of the sighting is also important to consider. Based on historic records, April 17th is a full month earlier than the average arrival date of May 15th. Those butterflies are typically first generation butterflies that originated in the South. It is possible for a monarch that overwintered in Mexico to reach Minnesota, but it's rare."

• Dale McClung of the Florida Monarch Butterfly Farm
  "If this is a released butterfly, it has been caged which is consistent with the damage. The butterfly is unlikely from a field release, wedding, etc., as the damage is too extensive and it is too early for releases in MN, but possibly an educational kit where the butterfly(s) were flying in a confined small enclosure possibly in a classroom where the instructor waited for a warm day to set the butterfly free."

• Mary Kennedy of Cibilo Nature Center in Texas
  "With so many monarchs reproducing in winter in Texas, Florida, and along the Gulf Coast, couldn't the Minnesota monarch have migrated from that population?"

What do you think?
Did the monarch come from Mexico?