{"id":134664,"date":"2024-09-16T02:50:21","date_gmt":"2024-09-16T07:50:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=134664"},"modified":"2025-09-12T05:48:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T10:48:19","slug":"my-first-monarch-butterfly-in-arkansas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/09\/16\/my-first-monarch-butterfly-in-arkansas\/","title":{"rendered":"My First Monarch Butterfly In Arkansas"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the same day that I photographed the Carolina Wren<\/span><\/a>, whose photos I shared yesterday, I saw and photographed my first Monarch butterfly in Arkansas!<\/p>\n

\"MonarchMonarch butterfly in Arkansas \u2013 Canon R7, handheld, f8, 1\/640, ISO 800, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

There were light clouds that afternoon, which softened the harshest light. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have even attempted to photograph the beautiful butterfly because the images would have been too contrasty. Thankfully, the photography Goddess was smiling on me!<\/p>\n

I grabbed my camera and walked up to the Monarch to take my images.<\/p>\n

\"MonarchMonarch butterfly close up \u2013 Canon R7, handheld, f10, 1\/1250, ISO 800, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The Monarch butterfly was so busy nectaring from the butterfly bush that the colorful, winged thing didn’t pay any attention to me.<\/p>\n

I’ve seen Monarchs all over the country, but I worry about this species because they are in steep decline for several reasons.<\/p>\n

If you want to help Monarch butterflies, rip up some lawn grass, which is pretty much sterile for insects, and plant a milkweed garden. Be sure to select a milkweed species native to your area.<\/p>\n

Monarch caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed plants. Monarchs have to have milkweed, that’s a fact.<\/p>\n

Additionally, creating an environment with a variety of nectar-producing flowers that bloom throughout the season provides food for adult butterflies.<\/p>\n

\"MonarchMonarch butterfly nectaring in Arkansas \u2013 Canon R7, handheld, f10, 1\/500, ISO 800, Canon 100-400mm at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

One other thing you can do to help Monarch butterflies? Avoid the use of pesticides and herbicides.<\/p>\n

Pesticides and herbicides can harm Monarchs and their food sources. Limiting or eliminating pesticide and herbicide use, especially on milkweed and other flowering plants, can help protect Monarchs<\/span><\/a>. Even small amounts of pesticides and herbicides put these beautiful butterflies and other insects in danger.<\/p>\n

Butterflies can’t speak for themselves, we need to speak for them.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see my insect and spider galleries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the same day that I photographed the Carolina Wren, whose photos I shared yesterday, I saw and photographed my first Monarch butterfly in Arkansas!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":134655,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13950,1171,13951],"tags":[4004,6041,6042,15673,4142,6040,5226,13931,1799,11012,1172,6044,2315,8018,13966],"class_list":["post-134664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arkansas","category-monarch-butterflies","category-sebastian-county","tag-adult","tag-butterflies","tag-butterfly","tag-butterfly-bush","tag-close-up","tag-danaus-plexippus","tag-decline","tag-garden","tag-insects","tag-monarch","tag-monarch-butterfly","tag-nectaring","tag-summer-3","tag-urban","tag-yard"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/monarch-butterfly-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-1158.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-z20","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":135485,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/10\/11\/autumn-female-monarch-butterfly-in-my-viewfinder\/","url_meta":{"origin":134664,"position":0},"title":"Autumn Female Monarch Butterfly In My Viewfinder","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 11, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"What's up today? I've got a few female Monarch butterfly images I\u2019ve been meaning to share but I hadn\u2019t edited them until now. This morning seems perfect!","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Monarch butterfly nectaring on flowers, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/monarch-butterfly-female-mia-mcpherson-7412.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/monarch-butterfly-female-mia-mcpherson-7412.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/monarch-butterfly-female-mia-mcpherson-7412.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/monarch-butterfly-female-mia-mcpherson-7412.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":132509,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/08\/16\/more-new-butterflies-at-sequoyah-nwr\/","url_meta":{"origin":134664,"position":1},"title":"More New Butterflies At Sequoyah NWR!","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 16, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday, when I shared the pale young Raccoon, I mentioned that I also photographed some butterflies at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge. Here they are!","rel":"","context":"In "Oklahoma"","block_context":{"text":"Oklahoma","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/oklahoma\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pipevine Swallowtail next to the Arkansas River, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, Oklahoma","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pipevine-swallowtail-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-1350.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pipevine-swallowtail-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-1350.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pipevine-swallowtail-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-1350.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pipevine-swallowtail-sequoyah-mia-mcpherson-1350.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":135857,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/10\/21\/male-and-female-monarch-butterfly-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":134664,"position":2},"title":"Male And Female Monarch Butterfly Photos","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 21, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"As the Monarch butterflies made their way through Arkansas at the end of September, I had the chance to take a couple of photos that really show off the unique features between the males and females.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Monarch butterfly in autumn, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/monarch-butterfly-male-sedum-mia-mcpherson-9234.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/monarch-butterfly-male-sedum-mia-mcpherson-9234.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/monarch-butterfly-male-sedum-mia-mcpherson-9234.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/monarch-butterfly-male-sedum-mia-mcpherson-9234.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":135045,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/09\/27\/huron-sachem-skipper-butterfly-photos-from-arkansas\/","url_meta":{"origin":134664,"position":3},"title":"Huron Sachem Skipper Butterfly Photos From Arkansas","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 27, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I took my lifer Huron Sachem skipper butterfly photos! I may have seen this species before, but I had never photographed one of these skippers until yesterday.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sedum and a Huron Sachem skipper butterfly, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/huron-sachem-skipper-butterfly-mia-mcpherson-6329.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/huron-sachem-skipper-butterfly-mia-mcpherson-6329.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/huron-sachem-skipper-butterfly-mia-mcpherson-6329.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/huron-sachem-skipper-butterfly-mia-mcpherson-6329.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":154511,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/09\/06\/blooming-climbing-milkweed-at-sequoyah-national-wildlife-refuge\/","url_meta":{"origin":134664,"position":4},"title":"Blooming Climbing Milkweed At Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Two days ago, I took my first Climbing Milkweed photos near where I photographed a resting Viceroy butterfly at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.","rel":"","context":"In "Climbing Milkweed"","block_context":{"text":"Climbing Milkweed","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/trees-shrubs-and-flowers\/wildflowers\/climbing-milkweed\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Blooming Climbing Milkweed in Oklahoma, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/climbing-milkweed-mia-mcpherson-7588.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/climbing-milkweed-mia-mcpherson-7588.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/climbing-milkweed-mia-mcpherson-7588.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/climbing-milkweed-mia-mcpherson-7588.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":141709,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/03\/16\/monarchs-at-a-crossroads-in-an-era-of-butterfly-decline\/","url_meta":{"origin":134664,"position":5},"title":"Monarchs At A Crossroads In An Era Of Butterfly Decline","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The contrasting fates of eastern and western Monarchs underscore that their future is still uncertain. With dedicated efforts, we can help butterfly populations rebound\u2014but time is running out.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Female Monarch butterfly feeds on purple flowers, showcasing its distinctive orange and black wing pattern, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/monarch-butterfly-adult-female-mia-mcpherson-7435.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/monarch-butterfly-adult-female-mia-mcpherson-7435.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/monarch-butterfly-adult-female-mia-mcpherson-7435.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/monarch-butterfly-adult-female-mia-mcpherson-7435.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134664\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}