The Monarch butterfly, a national symbol, is now on the endangered species list. Every year, what has been known as the "miracle migration" of the Western Monarch Butterfly was signaled with its arrival and magnificent blazes of orange against the autumn sky. Flying from as far north as Canada to find a winter home in the eight to ten last remaining Monarch habitats in California and Mexico, the Monarch mates at the end of winter, before starting the journey back north in the spring.

The fragile ecosystem of the butterfly's winter home has been disrupted over recent years by logging and deforestation due to the drive for increased coastal development. The subsequent effect of global warming has led to early butterfly desiccation and death. The milkweed where the female Monarch lays her eggs during the winter is seen as a weed and killed with herbicides.

HOW YOU CAN HELP THE MONARCH BUTTERFLIES:

To help support the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary Foundation, visit the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary Foundation.