Monarch Butterfly: The Insect of Wonders

The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is an iconic insect known for its striking orange, black, and white markings and its epic, multi-generational migration across North America. Its population has faced significant declines in recent years, prompting major conservation efforts. Migration The annual migration of monarch butterflies is one of nature's great spectacles, with North American populations traveling thousands of miles to warmer climates for the winter. Eastern population: Monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains travel up to 3,000 miles to overwinter in oyamel fir forests in central Mexico. Western population: Monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains migrate to groves of trees, primarily eucalyptus, along the California coast. A multi-generational journey: A single monarch does not make the entire round-trip journey. The migratory generation, which emerges in late summer, lives for up to nine months to make the journey south. In the spring, they begin the trip no...