“It was a bit of an accident, mostly that they are common (some would say weedy) yet native species to North America. When asked what made him so interested in monarch butterflies specifically he said Agrawal attributes his initial interest in insects and plants to his mother’s love of gardening. In his book, Agrawal dives into major scientific discoveries, including his own original research, and traces how plant poisons have not only shaped monarch-milkweed interactions but have also been culturally important for centuries.Ī self-proclaimed biophiliac, Agrawal was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania and currently serves as Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Sciences and Faculty Fellow at the Atkinson School of a Sustainable Future at Cornell University. In 2017 he wrote the book Monarchs and Milkweed - A Migrating Butterfly, a Poisonous Plant, and Their Remarkable Story of Coevolution. One man who has made real strides in the research of monarch butterflies and their habitat is Anurag Agrawal.

Many factors have contributed to the decline in monarchs, including climate change, the deforestation of habitat in Mexico, and the loss of native plants in the US that monarchs rely on to feed and reproduce. In Mexican forests, monarchs inhabited only 6.12 acres in December 2017, a 15% decline over the last year and an 86% drop since 1996. Migrating monarch butterfly populations are continuing to decline. But monarch butterflies are losing their homes right here in the US. Instead we might think of elephants, rhinos, and tigers in faraway places. So when we think of wild animals losing their habitats, we don’t usually envision butterflies. In 2017 he wrote the book Monarchs and Milkweed - A Migrating Butterfly, a Poisonous Plant, and Their Remarkable Story of CoevolutionĮvery summer we’ve become accustom to seeing the beautiful orange and black wings of the monarch butterfly in our yards and gardens.

When we think of wild animals losing their habitats, we don’t usually envision butterflies. Anurag Agrawal, Milkweed, and the Decline of Monarch Butterflies By: Emily

Monarchs and Milkweed by Anurag Agrawal