It's a Queen butterfly, Danaus gilippus, another butterfly that lays eggs on Milkweed. I've seen them before, but I think this is the first time I've been able to photograph one.
We're expecting a freeze tomorrow night so of course I'm worried about them, and also the chrysalis on the fence that I posted about last week. I've put some bamboo poles in the ground around the Milkweed plant and will throw a blanket over them tomorrow. Hopefully that will provide enough protection from frost so the caterpillars don't all die.
But I think other than that, I'll have to let Mother Nature take its course.
Words and photographs by Jayne Wilson, Green and Serene, Jayne's Country Garden.
