Smithsonian magazine's 22nd Annual Photo Contest | Made possible through the support of MPB.com

17th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Monarch butterfly larvae in my garden

This year I let the milkweed in my garden grow . I had heard that the Monarch Butterfly numbers were decreasing, so I decided to not weed out the milkweed but rather let it grow in hopes of seeing this beautiful larvae. It worked!!! I was able to capture many photographs , but this was my favorite showing it's beautiful colors along with the chewed up leaf .

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 08.2019
Date Uploaded: 09.2019
Photo Location: Hannacroix, New York, United States of America
Camera: Canon PowerShot SX410 IS
Copyright: © christine boehlke