Millions of orange-and-black monarch butterflies travel from the United States and Canada each winter to reach a rural corner of Michoacan state in western Mexico.
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Mexico’s monarch butterflies

Millions of orange-and-black monarch butterflies travel from the United States and Canada each winter to reach a rural corner of Michoacan state in western Mexico.

Millions of orange-and-black monarch butterflies travel from the United States and Canada each winter to reach a rural corner of Michoacan state in western Mexico.  (Deborah Bonello / For the Times)

Monarch butterflies are not endangered, but scientists say deforestation could threaten their existence. Their home in Mexico is a few hours’ drive from the din of the capital city.

Monarch butterflies are not endangered, but scientists say deforestation could threaten their existence. Their home in Mexico is a few hours’ drive from the din of the capital city.  (Deborah Bonello / For the Times)

No one is sure why the monarchs keep returning to Mexico. One theory holds that the monarchs are able to identify the spot by the bodies of their predecessors. That’s why it is forbidden to pick up dead monarchs.

No one is sure why the monarchs keep returning to Mexico. One theory holds that the monarchs are able to identify the spot by the bodies of their predecessors. That’s why it is forbidden to pick up dead monarchs.  (Deborah Bonello / For the Times)

For a few months a year, monarch butterflies convert the hills in a corner of Michoacan state into a wonderland of fluttering movement and color.

For a few months a year, monarch butterflies convert the hills in a corner of Michoacan state into a wonderland of fluttering movement and color.  (Deborah Bonello / For the Times)

Villagers in charge of protecting the butterflies gather for a meeting at the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve near the town of Chincua, Mexico. The monarchs are not endangered, but scientists say deforestation could threaten their existence.

Villagers in charge of protecting the butterflies gather for a meeting at the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve near the town of Chincua, Mexico. The monarchs are not endangered, but scientists say deforestation could threaten their existence.  (Marco Ugarte / Associated Press)

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