Jaime Rojo's 'Monarchs' Photo Book Released by National Geographic

National Geographic has released 'Monarchs,' a stunning coffee table book by photographer Jaime Rojo, showcasing over 140 images of the renowned butterfly. This 256-page publication features a foreword by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Kolbert and chronicles the monarch's life cycle, its yearly migration throughout North America, and the conservation efforts of various communities. Rojo, a National Geographic Explorer with expertise in environmental science, dedicated 20 years to tracking these butterflies from their winter habitats in Mexico's oyamel fir forests to the American Midwest, where he noted the decline of milkweed, the exclusive food source for caterpillars. The book illustrates diverse settings, such as a farm in Foley, Minnesota, the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoacán, Mexico, and Lurie Gardens in Chicago. It also emphasizes human connections, including the incorporation of monarch imagery in Michoacán's Day of the Dead festivities, scientists employing advanced technologies for research, and volunteers in the U.S. and Canada creating pollinator gardens and tagging monarchs. With habitat loss and environmental shifts posing threats to their migration, Rojo's work serves as a call for their conservation. 'Monarchs' is currently available on Bookshop and Amazon.