danaus plexippus
Friday, June 25, 1999 — 8:17 am
Grundy County, Illinois — Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area
I drove down to see birds, but except for several Henslow’s Sparrows, I didn’t see much. As the day heated up, and it didn’t waste any time doing so, I saw quite a few butterflies.
This Monarch was flitting over the grasses in the center of the prairie. It occasionally landed on a leaf, sometimes with its wings open and sometimes with them closed. It did not have scent spots.