Monarch Butterfly

Hello! I’m a monarch butterfly, and my life is a grand adventure. My story began as a tiny, yellowish-white egg. My mother knew just where to put me—on the soft leaf of a milkweed plant. A few days later, I hatched, and I wasn't a butterfly yet, but a hungry caterpillar! That milkweed plant was my entire world. I spent all my time munching on its leaves, growing bigger and stronger with every bite. The milkweed was more than just food; it gave me a secret superpower. The chemicals inside the plant made me taste awful to birds and other predators who might try to eat me. After about two weeks of non-stop eating, I knew it was time for a change. I found a safe spot, hung myself upside down, and became a beautiful jade-green chrysalis. It shimmered with little gold dots, but inside, the real magic called metamorphosis was happening. Long ago, in 1758, a scientist named Carl Linnaeus was so fascinated by my kind that he gave us our official scientific name, Danaus plexippus.

When I finally pushed my way out of the chrysalis, I was completely transformed. I wasn't a caterpillar anymore; I was a butterfly with brilliant orange and black wings. But I was a very special kind of monarch. I was born in the late summer, which makes me part of what some people call the 'super generation.' My relatives born earlier in the summer only live for a few weeks, but I can live for up to nine months! I need all that extra time because I have a very important job to do. Every autumn, as the air gets cooler, I begin an incredible journey called migration. It is one of the longest migrations of any insect in the world. I fly thousands of miles, starting from my home in Canada or the United States and traveling all the way down to a special forest in central Mexico. This amazing trip can be up to 3,000 miles long! The most incredible part is that I don't have a map or a guide. I am following a secret path in the sky that my ancestors have traveled for thousands of years.

For a very long time, where we spent the winter was a complete secret. People would see us fly south in the autumn, but they had no idea where we went. It was a huge mystery! Two scientists, Dr. Fred and Norah Urquhart, decided to solve it. They spent nearly 40 years of their lives searching for our hidden home. They came up with a clever idea: they put tiny, lightweight tags on our wings and asked people all over North America to help them. If someone found a tagged butterfly, they would report where they saw it. Their hard work finally paid off. On January 2nd, 1975, their team followed a lead and found us! They discovered millions and millions of us in the mountains of Michoacán, Mexico. We were all clustered together on the branches of the oyamel fir trees. We huddle close like that all winter to stay warm and protected from the cold and rain, resting until it's time to begin our long journey north again in the spring.

Even though my journey is amazing, it is getting harder to complete every year. The world is changing, and my kind is facing new challenges. The special milkweed plants that I need as a caterpillar are disappearing from fields and gardens. The oyamel fir trees that create our safe winter home in Mexico are also being threatened. On top of that, climate change is making the weather unpredictable, which makes our long flight more difficult and dangerous. Because of these serious problems, on July 21st, 2022, an important group of scientists called the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, officially listed the migratory monarch as an endangered species. Hearing this was sad, but it was also an important alarm bell—a call to action for people everywhere to understand that we need their help.

Even though my species faces challenges, my story is one of resilience and hope. I am more than just a beautiful insect with a long journey. As I fly from flower to flower, sipping sweet nectar for energy, I do another very important job. I am a pollinator! I carry tiny grains of pollen from one plant to another, which helps them grow fruits and seeds. I may be small, but I am a vital part of keeping our ecosystem healthy and strong. My long migration is a symbol of the incredible connections that link plants, animals, and places across an entire continent. You can be part of my story, too. By planting native milkweed for my children and colorful flowers that provide nectar for me, you can create a safe place for us to rest and eat. Your help will ensure that our magical migration can continue for many years to come.