Oh how gorgeous!
The colors and the clear details on the monarch are wonderful!
MissSherry

Beautiful, Ed. So glad that you were able to log on again. Please share more pics.

My gardens are very bare this winter. I only have a Penta or two, a couple of mist flowers, a few Orange Cosmos, a few Scarlet milkweed, and some Shepherd's Needle that are blooming now. Most plants have been cut back hoping for the spring. I have a few Monarchs that have apparently taken up residence here for the winter and occasionally I see a few passing Sulphurs. I see the Monarchs every day floating back and forth over the gardens. The Popcorn Senna is in bloom but I haven't seen the Sulphurs ovipositing there. For some reason even the Monarchs are much more difficult to photograph in the winter than in the summer--they seem more cautious and it is difficult to approach close enough to get a shot. But Spring is coming soon. I will try get a few more shots for the gallery--but they will probably all be Monarchs. The Gallery hasn't had any new butterflies pictures for a long time (except those South American beauties that someone posted).

Wonderful photo!
I have also had a lone monarch visitor just earlier this week. It was also skittish as you described. I was not even able to tell if it was male or female because it moved around too much!