A to Z Challenge - M is for Monarch

For my nature theme, I thought I would focus on the Monarch butterfly today. I have always loved these butterflies, and when I was a child, our yard in Michigan teemed with them in the spring and summer. I didn't learn about the great migration until years later and was amazed that these delicate little creatures can travel hundreds of miles. The Monarch is famous for its southward migration from Canada to Mexico in the winter, then a return north in the summer. This migration can span  the life of three to four generations of the butterfly.

Here in Texas we would see the butterfly en masse in early spring, but not so much any more. The milkweed, which is a major attraction for the monarch, has been disappearing along with the butterfly. HERE is an excellent article that explains some of what is happening to this beautiful little creature. We are definitely slowly killing our planet.
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Yesterday's Friday the 13th Mystery Event was a lot of fun. I met so many new friends on various sites all over the Internet. What a wonderful way to meet people without having to leave home. I am pleased that my book made it to the top 10 best-seller list for suspense on Amazon, thanks to all the folks who downloaded the book. Many of these books, including my One Small Victory, are free again for today, so tell your friends there is still time to get some good books for their Kindle. All of these are from award-winning authors who have first published with major publishers.

1. Darker By Degree by Susan Branham and Keri Knutson - A missing girl. A mysterious break-in. A brutal murder. 

2.  Diary of Murder by Jean Henry Mead -  Dana Logan's wealthy sister, Georgi, dies and Georgi's husband claims it was suicide. Dana knows her sister would never take her own life and sets out to prove it was murder, with her friend, Sarah Cafferty. 

3. Ghost Island by Bonnie Hearn Hill - Is Aaron a dream, or is he something much more deadly? Livia Hinson has just begun a Seminar at Sea when a storm hits their boat. Now, she is stranded with the other students on an island off the coast of California. NOTE: For some reason this book is still listed at $2.99

4. Kiki Lowenstein and the Purple Passion: A Kiki Lowenstein Short Story by Joanna Campbell Slan - When a customer’s daughter is falsely accused, Kiki Lowenstein foils a nasty plan to ruin the girl’s reputation. 

5. One Small Victory by Maryann Miller - the story of one woman's courage. Suspense novel by Maryann Miller, based on a true story of a woman who infiltrated a drug ring and helped bring down a major distributor in her small Texas town. Don't discount what a mother can do to protect her children. 

6. Rock & Roll Homicide by RJ McDonnell - The 1st novel in the Rock & Roll Mystery Series finds PI Jason Duffy helping the widow of a slain rock star after she climbs to #1 in the police suspect charts. 

7. Sink or Swim by Stacy Juba - After starring on a hit game show set aboard a Tall Ship, personal trainer Cassidy Novak discovers that she has attracted a stalker. Can she trust Zach Gallagher, the gorgeous newspaper photographer assigned to follow her for a local series? 

8. Southeast Asian Quartet by William S. Shepard - Mystery, suspense and murder in Southeast Asia in the style of Somerset Maugham, these four tales evoke Singapore, Borneo, Malaya and Indochina. Draw up a chair at the Raffles Bar and join us.

9. Taken by Debra Lee -  Welcome to the fictitious little town of Watery, Pennsylvania where the district attorney’s personal secretary, Mary Murray never planned to become a single mom or a suspect in her infant’s disappearance. 

10. The Four Last Things by Timothy Hallinan - Hired to follow a young woman, private eye Simeon Grist becomes mired in murder and a million-dollar religious scam in The Four Last Things, the first in a series of highly-praised LA private-eye novels written in the 1990s by 2011 Edgar nominee Timothy Hallinan. 

11. When a Man Loves a Woman - Enhanced Multimedia Edition by Alina Adams - Can a man and woman ever truly be just friends? What about if one of them is married? What if one of them suddenly isn't anymore?  

12.  Willowtree by Mike Bove - Bruce DelRano, retired postman, golf and food nut, finds a body near the golf course. He believes the murder is connected to others and involves his Apache friend. Together, they stay a step ahead of the police in trying to solve the cases. 

13. Whispering by Gerrie Ferris Finger - Will Cleo Snow admit to making love with charming World War I fly-boy Graham Henry to clear him in the disappearance of an island woman who claims he plans to marry her? Will Graham compromise Cleo to clear himself?

Getting the Shot

I remember when I used to do PR work and would go out on a photo shoot with a photographer to get pictures for a brochure or annual report, and I was always amazed at how many shots he would take. I was used to the way most of us take family pictures -- one shot each.

The photographer I worked with was very talented, and very patient. I was always mindful of the clock ticking and the fees, and he patiently explained that there is a difference between taking a picture and taking a photograph. If you want a good photograph you can't rush the process and you may shoot a whole roll of film before you get that one great shot.

I was reminded of that the other morning when I discovered some beautiful butterflies having breakfast from the flowers in my old plow. I must have taken 20 shots, before I got this pretty yellow swallowtail.

I won't post all the pictures, but I'll post a few to show the progression from beginning to end.