I got to release monarchs the same day as the gulf fritillaries. I had a big batch of monarch caterpillars at the time of a January freeze, so I brought them inside the house to take care of. Two of the males mated within 30 minutes of emerging from their chrysalises, so they never opened their wings fully. I just kept giving them fresh flowers for nectar.

It seemed like no one wanted to fly away that day. Don't know why--it was nice and warm and there were plenty of blooms in the garden.