Not only did a Monarch settle on the flower and spend time enjoying the nectar, when a sparrow flew a bit too close, the butterfly chased it off. Yes, you read this correctly! The Monarch Butterfly deliberately flew after a sparrow to chase it off, twice. Had we not seen this happen, with our own eyes, we most certainly wouldn't have believed it.
The butterfly flew fast and was directly chasing the sparrow. Wherever the sparrow swooped, in and out of tree branches and leaves, the Monarch swooped too. That's another thing, we've never seen a butterfly move so fast.
The irony was that, while the butterfly was busy chasing off the sparrow, a honey bee jumped onto the Mexican Sunflower and tucked in to enjoy the nectar.