Monarch butterflies are under threat. By restoring the plants they rely on to breed and eat, can we help them bounce back?
A monarch butterfly weighs less than a paperclip, yet in its lifetime it can fly up to 3,000 miles.
These tiny creatures are some of nature’s toughest. But they’re under threat. Monarch populations have declined by as much as 99% since the 1980s – thanks to humans.
“It’s really difficult to ignore the plight of the monarch,” says butterfly conservationist Connor Jandreau. He first encountered the magic of monarchs growing up in Colorado, where he and his siblings would marvel at the striped caterpillars gathering on milkweed.
Milkweed is the only plant monarchs will lay eggs on, and the only thing the caterpillars will eat. But humans often treat is as a weed and get rid of it.
Jandreau is helping to rewrite that narrative now on California’s coast. He’s building up planting sites full of milkweed with the support of American Bird Conservancy and California Central Coast Joint Venture (C3JV).
“The promise of one day seeing monarchs breeding on this site – that’s enough to make you continue,” says Jandreau. Will he succeed?
Find out in the video below.
Focused on the wonderful world of rewilding, Volume 5 sees us get into the weeds – and go beyond the ferns – with our green-thumbed cover star Zach Galifianakis, walk with wolves in Slovenia, create a wilder world in Denmark, find meaning in fashion, and much, much more.
