Monarch Dancing on a Cosmos

I waited a full year for monarch butterflies to stop by our backyard in their annual migration to Mexico. Yesterday, I saw the first one celebrate its arrival by dancing on a cosmos flower a few inches from me. Surrounding communities have reported monarch sightings this week. Last year the nearby Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary, usually home to tens of thousands of monarchs, reported that zero monarchs stayed the winter–a complete catastrophe. Wildfires and pesticides were cited as partial reasons for the dramatic decline. In fact, on four occasions yesterday, a single monarch flitted into the backyard–was it the same butterfly? Hopefully, more will come today.