Monarch, Brasso Seco, Trinidad

Tonight, I have just posted 11 more photos that were taken on the island of Trinidad, March 2017. I need to get cracking on editing and posting more photos from this trip, as things are beginning to get busy here, now that spring is here. I'm still on Day 5 of our eight-day adventure, and the next photos will be of the Brasso Seco Visitor Facilities, where a delicious lunch had been prepared for us. We were also given a demonstration of how they make chocolate.

We only get a rare Monarch butterfly coming as far north as Calgary, so it was a treat to see one in the wild in Trinidad.

"The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae), in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies. Since the 19th century, it has been found in New Zealand, and in Australia since 1871 where it is called the Wanderer. In Europe, it is resident in the Canary Islands, the Azores, and Madeira, and is found as an occasional migrant in Western Europe. Its wings feature an easily recognizable orange and black pattern, with a wingspan of 8.9–10.2 cms (3½–4 in). (The Viceroy butterfly has a similar size, color, and pattern, but can be distinguished by an extra black stripe across the hind wing.) Female Monarchs have darker veins on their wings, and the males have a spot called the "androconium" in the center of each hind wing[7] from which pheromones are released. Males are also slightly larger. The Monarch is famous for its southward migration and northward return in summer in the Americas which spans the life of three to four generations of the butterfly."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarch_(butterfly)