Threat to the Monarch Butterfly

The migration of the monarch butterflies from the United States to the mountains of Central Mexico is one of nature’s most fascinating events. Every fall, millions and millions of monarch butterflies fly all the way to the mountain forests of Central Mexico, where they spend the winter clinging to the trees in large groups. In the spring, they make the long trip back to the United States and Canada, to begin the cycle again. Nature lovers, schoolchildren, and scientists are fascinated by the monarch life cycle. They tag the butterflies in gardens and schoolyards, and follow the tender insects’ flight as they travel to what is for many an unknown country. But the monarch butterflies’ amazing journey also puts them at risk. Their habitats—the milkweed plant of North America and the oyamel forests of Central Mexico—are under constant attack. If their habitats should vanish, so too will this delicate creature.