Back
to Preserve & Protect
In Jake and the Migration of the Monarch we learn that
- “Several generations of summer monarchs live only two to six weeks. The migrating
monarchs are different. They live about eight months and migrate south to find
just the right conditions to survive the winter. Monarchs born west of the Rocky
Mountains overwinter in California. Monarchs born east of the Rockies or in
Southern Canada migrate to the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico."
We also learn the there are lots of connections between people and
monarchs: “Butterflies and people need the care and help of others
to survive.”
- "Though the migrating monarchs have never been there
before and they have no map, they fly thousands of miles to find the
same oyamel fir tree forests visited by their great-grandparents the
year before. We also learn that the local people of the mountains of
Mexico are trying to conserve the forests needed to protect monarchs
even though they can use the firewood from the trees to earn money to
feed their families.”
This example from Jake and the Migration of the Monarch helps us understand that protecting our natural environment is thrilling and essential, but not easy. These Mexican roosts were discovered fairly recently, and we know that the forests are diminishing due to logging. Learn more about these forests and how we can encourage their preservation in the reading and resources section.
