Category: Invertebrates

Symmetrical Monarch

Sunny Zhang

Western Monarch Butterflies spend the spring and summer months in northwestern North America including interior BC and winter along coastal California. For me, seeing a Monarch in BC is a thrilling experience because they are normally only found in the central parts of the province. Western Monarchs have experienced a population crash of more than 90% since the 1980s, with habitat loss and herbicide use being some of the main threats. I hope that by sharing this photo, more people would be stunned by their beautiful appearance and appreciate these impressive migratory butterflies and hopefully take action to protect their habitat and help them recover.