Revised 8/28
Today I spent hours watching male monarchs jousting with one another. The location was a front yard on the west side of Madison, WI)--a space filled with flowering native prairie plants. A large number of blazing star (Liatris) flowers attracted the monarchs.
Most people have heard of how whales are identified and tracked as individuals, using photos of their tails above water. I was wondering if it might be possible to do the same with butterflies (though it would be less useful because of their short lives).
We were able to identify an individual male and follow his behavior. We could visually identify him because of small size, dull wings (scales worn off), and minor damage to his wings: a notch in his left, rear wing border, and a nick in his right, front wing-tip, which you can see in the three photos below. His idiosyncrasies:
- Had a distinctive flight pattern--rather slow and tired, with marked angle of wings while gliding.
- Preferred east side of yard, mostly by sidewalk.
- Liked to fly close to a parked car with bright blue paint; sometimes attempted to land on it.
- Despite appearing "old and tired," he frequently engaged in chases with other males.
