In and of a Butterfly Preserve

Near where I live there is a butterfly preserve. The winter is the time when thousands of Monarch butterflies flock (if butterflies "flock") to this area. They can travel as many as 3,000 miles as part of their migration. And they always come back to the same spot every year. It being "winter" I went to check it out. To get to the butterflies you walk deep into a densely wooded area over muddy paths, sun rays streaming through the leaves of the trees, and then across a rickety one foot wide board which serves as a bridge over a small creek. You know you have arrived when you hear the distant chirping of the butterflies or you see people randomly spaced throughout the woods gazing upward, almost zombie-like, in dumbfounded awe. Overhead, way at the tops of the eucalyptus trees, the butterflies fly back and forth creating a living fluttering canopy. It is almost mystical or like something through the cupboard. The difficult thing is the butterflies are so high up it does not make for great pictures. So, I took these pictures of things closer to the ground, instead. The funny thing was the next day outside of my apartment there was a Monarch butterfly feeding from flowers. I watched him for a little while, as he was probably less than a foot away, until he flew off directly into my face! So, I believe it only goes to show that butterflies are spies and very very dangerous.