“Maybe one day you’ll break out of that shell, grow wings, and fly away,” says the monarch.
“I doubt it,” says Hurry.
“It happened to me,” replies the monarch, thinking about the extraordinary morning when she opened her wings.
from Hurry and the Monarch
written by Antoine Ó Flatharta
illustrated by Meilo So
Knopf/Random House, 2005
My youngest grandson’s favorite color is orange. It’s been his favorite color since he was a baby and he’s in a select group of people who share that favorite color. After climbing out of a deep! Google rabbit hole to verify that, I fell back to my own observations of 3- and 4-year-olds at storytime. When they had a choice during our “craft time,” most kids picked blue or red whatevers. Orange was least-picked every time.
Orange is full of energy. From the waning green that exposes Autumn’s vibrancy to brightly colored pumpkins and cantaloupe-colored sunsets, orange is everywhere right about now.
Because it is highly visible, orange is the color hunters wear. Wear Orange Day is set aside at the beginning of June each year to highlight the need to stop gun violence. You can find information about it here. Roadside barrels and pylons are orange, too. Their high visibility helps keep drivers and pedestrians safe.
Mother Nature loves orange. You can probably list dozens of her favorites. Everything from kumquats to clownfish are orange. For fun, take a peek at these examples.
But maybe the most-loved are monarch butterflies. According to SaveOurMonarch.org, legend has it we call them monarchs after Prince William of Orange, later King William III of England because he was so loved by Dutch settlers in the New World.
Starting in early October, millions of monarchs begin their over 2,500-mile migration from southern Canada to central and southwestern Mexico. A recent article in National Geographic says “[t]hey carpet the trees and paint the sky black and orange.”
The monarch season in Mexico lasts four months, until March when they begin their return north. “It’s an eight-month migration traversing the continent and back, during which five consecutive generations are born and die.”
They are one of the few insects known to migrate to warmer climates. After recovering from their southern migration by hibernating in the warm Mexican sunshine, monarchs get busy finding a mate. By March or April, they’re back home! They look for a milkweed plant where they will lay their eggs. About four days later, baby caterpillars emerge and begin eating. They are fussy eaters. Milkweed is their only food source. Each caterpillar can eat the leaves off an entire milkweed plant in about two weeks. Now fully grown, it attaches itself to a fresh milkweed plant and envelops itself in its chrysalis. Another 10 days and it’s ready to emerge, dry its beautiful orange and black and white wings, find a mate, and lay its eggs.
According to the Forest Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, “[m]onarch butterflies typically live from 2 to 6 weeks except for the last generation of the year, which can live up to 8 to 9 months.” You’ll find lots more info on the FAQ sheet at that link.
Although some organizations and individuals clamber for monarchs to be listed as endangered, MonarchWatch has reassuring statistics on its blog from September 4, 2024. Tap the link to see the post.
In short, monarchs are not to be taken for granted. Their numbers, like numbers of birds, insects, and plants have plummetted to larger or smaller degrees. Programs from the Symbolic Monarch Migration which connects students from Canada, the US, and Mexico to teach them about the monarch’s magnificent migration to local milkweed planting promotions to direction and support for home breeding, MonarchWatch.org says “[t]here is ample data showing that monarch are resilient, redundant, and adaptive.” As such, no data has emerged to justify listing the monarch as endangered or threatened.
That said, habitat destruction is the monarch’s greatest threat. We are losing about a million acres of grassland every year. Along with the habitat goes the milkweed.
Monarchs thrive on milkweed. One of the best ways to help ensure they are able to reproduce is to help make their food available. Milkweed is easy to plant and grow, but so many varieties make a little research necessary to find out which kind will grow best in your area. The National Wildlife Federation’s blog on native milkweeds is a great resource.
In Mesoamerican culture, monarchs are said to personify the souls of departed loved ones. The monarchs arrive in Mexico at the beginning of November which coincides with Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations.
I’m reading The Sewing Girl’s Tale by John Wood Sweet (Henry Holt and Company, 2022). From the publisher: “Based on rigorous historical detective work, this book takes us from a chance encounter in the street into the sanctuaries of the city’s elite, the shadows of its brothels, and the despair of its debtors’ prison. The Sewing Girl’s Tale shows that if our laws and our culture were changed by a persistent young woman and the power of words two hundred years ago they can be changed again.”
Be curious! (and fly high)
“I doubt it,” says Hurry.
“It happened to me,” replies the monarch, thinking about the extraordinary morning when she opened her wings.
from Hurry and the Monarch
written by Antoine Ó Flatharta
illustrated by Meilo So
Knopf/Random House, 2005
My youngest grandson’s favorite color is orange. It’s been his favorite color since he was a baby and he’s in a select group of people who share that favorite color. After climbing out of a deep! Google rabbit hole to verify that, I fell back to my own observations of 3- and 4-year-olds at storytime. When they had a choice during our “craft time,” most kids picked blue or red whatevers. Orange was least-picked every time.
Orange is full of energy. From the waning green that exposes Autumn’s vibrancy to brightly colored pumpkins and cantaloupe-colored sunsets, orange is everywhere right about now.
Because it is highly visible, orange is the color hunters wear. Wear Orange Day is set aside at the beginning of June each year to highlight the need to stop gun violence. You can find information about it here. Roadside barrels and pylons are orange, too. Their high visibility helps keep drivers and pedestrians safe.
Mother Nature loves orange. You can probably list dozens of her favorites. Everything from kumquats to clownfish are orange. For fun, take a peek at these examples.
But maybe the most-loved are monarch butterflies. According to SaveOurMonarch.org, legend has it we call them monarchs after Prince William of Orange, later King William III of England because he was so loved by Dutch settlers in the New World.
Starting in early October, millions of monarchs begin their over 2,500-mile migration from southern Canada to central and southwestern Mexico. A recent article in National Geographic says “[t]hey carpet the trees and paint the sky black and orange.”
The monarch season in Mexico lasts four months, until March when they begin their return north. “It’s an eight-month migration traversing the continent and back, during which five consecutive generations are born and die.”
They are one of the few insects known to migrate to warmer climates. After recovering from their southern migration by hibernating in the warm Mexican sunshine, monarchs get busy finding a mate. By March or April, they’re back home! They look for a milkweed plant where they will lay their eggs. About four days later, baby caterpillars emerge and begin eating. They are fussy eaters. Milkweed is their only food source. Each caterpillar can eat the leaves off an entire milkweed plant in about two weeks. Now fully grown, it attaches itself to a fresh milkweed plant and envelops itself in its chrysalis. Another 10 days and it’s ready to emerge, dry its beautiful orange and black and white wings, find a mate, and lay its eggs.
According to the Forest Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, “[m]onarch butterflies typically live from 2 to 6 weeks except for the last generation of the year, which can live up to 8 to 9 months.” You’ll find lots more info on the FAQ sheet at that link.
Although some organizations and individuals clamber for monarchs to be listed as endangered, MonarchWatch has reassuring statistics on its blog from September 4, 2024. Tap the link to see the post.
In short, monarchs are not to be taken for granted. Their numbers, like numbers of birds, insects, and plants have plummetted to larger or smaller degrees. Programs from the Symbolic Monarch Migration which connects students from Canada, the US, and Mexico to teach them about the monarch’s magnificent migration to local milkweed planting promotions to direction and support for home breeding, MonarchWatch.org says “[t]here is ample data showing that monarch are resilient, redundant, and adaptive.” As such, no data has emerged to justify listing the monarch as endangered or threatened.
That said, habitat destruction is the monarch’s greatest threat. We are losing about a million acres of grassland every year. Along with the habitat goes the milkweed.
Monarchs thrive on milkweed. One of the best ways to help ensure they are able to reproduce is to help make their food available. Milkweed is easy to plant and grow, but so many varieties make a little research necessary to find out which kind will grow best in your area. The National Wildlife Federation’s blog on native milkweeds is a great resource.
In Mesoamerican culture, monarchs are said to personify the souls of departed loved ones. The monarchs arrive in Mexico at the beginning of November which coincides with Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations.
I’m reading The Sewing Girl’s Tale by John Wood Sweet (Henry Holt and Company, 2022). From the publisher: “Based on rigorous historical detective work, this book takes us from a chance encounter in the street into the sanctuaries of the city’s elite, the shadows of its brothels, and the despair of its debtors’ prison. The Sewing Girl’s Tale shows that if our laws and our culture were changed by a persistent young woman and the power of words two hundred years ago they can be changed again.”
Be curious! (and fly high)
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