Rhonda, I know this must be stressing you out. I don't have an answer for you and wasn't going to comment on this, but I just went out to feed the birds and found these two. I can't even tell the difference between male and female. But it looked weird, too. And they flew off together into a tree.

Iris,

Thanks for responding. Great pic! Just a guess but I'd say the one towards the top on the plant is a female due to the thicker lines and the one on the bottom a male due to the thinner lines. I can't see the dot on the lower wing but I believe the leaf may be blocking it.

I wouldn't be so concerned if I ever saw these two separated. But, I see them fly in stuck together with the one just hanging on the bottom and not moving and they will be in the air for 10 minutes at a time before they land and fly off again. Every day.

Nature never fails to amaze me.

Rhonda

If it were me, if you can get close enough, I'd catch the two of them in my cupped hands and, if you're pretty sure the female is dead, I'd gently pull her off the male.

Sherry

Thanks Sherry...I'll try my best to catch them.

You know I saw the same thing at the bike trail my husband and I go to and I thought it was the oddest thing. First the butterflies were flying separately and everything look normal then they got together and rested together for a bit and I thought that's normal they are probably having fun...........if you know what I mean then all of a sudden they were both still joined together and the one lifted up and started flying away with the other motionless still hooked together. I thought it was very strange and started to be concerned. What was that all about? I have never seen behavior like that before.

http://askanaturalist.com/what-are-these-butterflies-doing/

thanks Sherry

You're welcome. I had to know the answer also. I kept wondering everytime I saw this post come up.

Thanks so much Sherry! I feel so much better now. I had seen butterflies mating before but never for 4 days and stuck together the entire time!