Over the past few years we've learned that a Wildlife Restoration portion of State Game Lands #333 on the east side of Shiloh Road can occasionally be a good location from which to spot Monarch butterflies.

I stopped by the site today.   At least six times over the course of about ten minutes (11:35 AM - 11:45 AM) I caught a brief glimpse (at a distance) of a Monarch butterfly darting about.   I doubt it was the same butterfly each time as at one point I spotted two at the same time.   Given the various flight patterns (i.e., no long stops to sip nectar or lay eggs), I'd guess what I was seeing was mostly male butterflies seeking mates.

I was never quick enough to get a good picture, but I'm including a photo of a portion of the field into which a Monarch was disappearing when I managed to get the shot.   I can't find any orange in the photo, but at least it will give you an idea of what the area looks like.   There's a good bit of common milkweed growing in the area, but I didn't see any eggs on the few leaves I examined.

At the time we had mostly cloudy skies with a 6 mph wind from the SW.   Other weather conditions were: