Date: 07/21/2014

Number: 1

The male monarch had been patrolling the milkweed patches all day. It was not unusual to see him sailing by each time I glanced out the window. But an hour and a half before sunset I noticed a monarch rise up into the Japanese maple tree and cling to the end of a branch like a leaf. I went out and took a few shots with the camera, came back inside and was surprised to find that it was two monarchs forming the "leaf". They remained together clinging in stillness until I could no longer see them because of the dark.

Editor's Note: This picture shows a mated pair. The behavior observed is called the nuptial flight.

Goshen, IN

Latitude: 41.6 Longitude: -85.8

Observed by: Julia
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