Observation date: December 13, 2019
Date notes: Sunny and cool afternoon.
Submitted by: gregslak
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: Walking along the Glendale Riverwalk in the mid afternoon, I passed a Pepper Tree visited by two similar-looking butterflies. Nearly identical in hue, I initially thought them to both be Monarchs, and in fact, one was an extensively damaged Monarch. The other, however, was marked differently, and turned out to be a butterfly that I had read about, but not personally viewed... the Queen. My initial confusion was heightened by their courting-like, circling flight pattern before separating and both landing in the canopy of the Pepper Tree where I was able to photograph them.
Status: Resident
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: December 14, 2019
Coordinator notes: Queens are unusual in Glendale though they stray into the Los Angeles Basin. They are one of my favorite butterflies and I was born in Glendale, but long living in Bakersfield-Ken Davenport...PS: Queens are regular in the southern Sierra Nevada and stray into the southern San Joaquin Valley.
