Monarch butterflies in El Rosario Sanctuary can be quite active in the heat of the day. To quench their thirst, hundreds swarm to the ground near a small stream, where they sip liquid and important minerals from the wet soila behavior called puddling. All photos Jaime Rojo, courtesy of Vital Impacts, shared with permissionVital Impacts Saving the Monarchs Campaign with Jaime Rojo Raises Funds for ConservationDecember 12, 2024Kate MothesHome to more than 40,000 plant species, 1,300 kinds of birds, and millions of insects, the Amazon is a vital and increasingly threatened part of our global ecosystem. By highlighting the incredible diversity and beauty of nature and wildlife around the planet, Vital Impacts (previously) raises funds for the preservation of the rainforest through its annual print sale.This year, in addition to the fundraiser featuring work by more than 80 photographers, the program has launched the Saving the Monarchs campaign, showcasing the work of award-winning National Geographic photographer Jaime Rojo. With the Monarch butterfly population declining by 90 percent in recent decades, efforts are underway to protect their habitats and ensure their survival, says a statement from Vital Impacts.In the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoacan (Mexico), a single latecomer joins the others for the night, stretching its wings as it maneuvers in an attempt to squeeze into the popular roosting place. The butterflies extreme closeness offers protection and warmth.Rojo has spent two decades photographing the magnificent insects, tracing their annual migration across the length and breadth of North America. Wintering in Mexicoor California for those west of the Rocky Mountainsthe iconic butterflies return north in the summertime, where they typically lay a single egg on a milkweed plant. Depending on the temperature, the egg cycle lasts for three to five days, after which a small larva emerges. As it grows, it sheds its skin a number of times, developing recognizable black, white, and yellow stripes. Then, once full grown, the larva spins a silk mat, stabs a stem into the mat to hang from, and encapsulates itself inside a pupa. After around eight to fifteen days, the adult Monarch emerges with bright orange and black wings.During the summer, Monarchs live between two and five weeks, but if they hatch later in the year, they complete an incredible journey south, where they overwinter in clusters on trees in warmer climates. These adults will then live just long enough to hatch new eggs so future generations can return to the northernmost breeding grounds.Monarch populations have declined in recent decades due to myriad factors, from the destruction of milkweedthe only plant on which they lay eggsand overwintering habitats to temperature changes and drought due to the ongoing climate crisis. Initiatives like Monarch Watch, which this fundraiser benefits, emphasize conservation, track colonies movements, and promote education.Butterflies stream through the trees in El Rosario, a sanctuary within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoacn, Mexico. Migrating monarchs winter in the same oyamel fir groves that sheltered earlier generations.Open edition prints in this years sale start at $275, with options for different sizes and striking limited editions. Sixty percent of profits are earmarked to support Monarch conservation and regional Indigenous communities through COICA, an international program dedicated to the support of 511 Indigenous Peoples in the Amazon Basin.The remaining 40 percent of proceeds support the storytellers who are committed to shining a light on these critical issues and driving positive change in our world. See more of Rojos work on his website, and purchase prints in this years sale, which continues through January 31.I had attempted versions of this image in the past, but I had never seen such a beautiful pattern of branches with that abundance of butterflies, Rojo says.Streaked with sunlight and crowded together for warmth in winter, Monarch butterflies blanket fir trees in El Rosario Sanctuary, Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Michoacan, Mexico. I requested special permits to work outside the sanctuarys operating hours and made this photograph shortly before sunset, Rojo says.A Monarch butterfly feeds from a Blazing Star (Liatris sp.) on a farm in Foley, Minnesota, that specializes in growing and distributing native plants from the prairies. Liatris are important for the monarchs because they bloom in late summer, providing them with an extra food source right before their fall migration.A carpet of Monarch butterflies covers the forest floor of El Rosario Butterfly Sanctuary after an unusually intense snowstorm that hit the state of Michoacn in Mexico on March 2016. On March 8 and 9 of 2016, a strong snowstorm hit the mountains of Central Mexico creating havoc in the wintering colonies of Monarch butterflies just when they were starting their migration back to U.S.A. and Canada. The death toll of this single weather event was an estimated 30 to 35 percent of the colony.Each fall, millions of Monarch butterflies embark on a 3,000-mile journey from Canada and the U.S. to the forests of central Mexico. This annual migration, one of natures most extraordinary events, is guided by instinct, as the Monarchs that arrive have never made the journey before. Monarch butterflies complete their migration over several generations. Those that travel to Mexico in the fall live up to eight months, but their offspring will only live a few weeks, moving north each spring. It takes three to four generations to reach their breeding grounds in the U.S. and Canada.Previous articleNext article