The Great Attraction

I have been puzzled as to why we have so many butterflies flittering around in the trees here at Buckskin State Park.  Today I put some of the pieces of the puzzle together and think I have a clearer picture of what is going on.  One of the things I have noticed is that the butterflies seem to prefer certain trees.  Today I made an effort to learn more about the trees they were hanging out in and I learned that they were Willow Acacia trees, which are from Australia, and most interesting is that they bloom from fall until spring.  Which explains why they are blooming now and that is what is providing nectar for the butterflies. If you look closely at this photo of this Monarch Butterfly you will see between the two antennas at the top and two right side legs, the single long proboscis that is buried deep into the flowering puff.