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Image # A58-015; While visiting the Wichita Botanical Gardens I captured the image of this Monarch Butterfly. The Monarchs wing span can reach up to 4½ inches or more. The male is bright orange with wide black borders and black veins; whereas, the female is orange-brown with wide black borders and blurred black veins. Adults warm up by basking dorsally (with their wings open and toward the sun). Adults make massive migrations from August-October, flying thousands of miles south to hibernate along the California coast and in central Mexico. At the Mexico wintering sites, butterflies roost in trees and form huge aggregations that may have millions of individuals. Residents of tropical areas do not migrate but appear to make altitude changes during the dry season. Many live in open habitats including fields, meadows, weedy areas, marshes, and roadsides. During the warm season the Monarch can be seen from Southern Canada south through all of the United States, Central America, and most of South America. They are also present in Australia, Hawaii, and other Pacific Islands.
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