This afternoon was a perfect example of why you should slow down and take in your surroundings.

I found these two mating monarch butterflies deep in my tomato plant before the male took flight with the female attached to a nearby tree.

I have read that mating monarchs can remain together for 16 hours or longer. It’s not until the very end of their attachment that the sperm is transferred to the female. The fertilization of the egg does not occur until right before the egg is laid on the host plant.

During mating, the male will use its claspers, located on the end of its abdomen, to attach to the female’s ostium bursa.