Introduction

The monarch, called at various times in various places, the king-billy, milkweed butterfly, the wanderer or the storm king is medium-size as butterflies go, with a black body about one inch long and speckled with white polka dots. The bright orange wings span about three inches and are laced with black veins and edged with black borders speckled with two rows of white dots. The undersides are much like the tops, only duller. Although monarchs are native to South and North America, they have spread in a band around the world. However, it’s the North American monarchs that make the astonishing migration to the Pacific Coast or into or through three countries —Canada, the United States, and Mexico. It’s about these butterflies, their migrations, and their survival that this book is all about.