Nomads of the Wind

Perhaps the most incredible feat of all is the 2,000 mile migration of the monarch butterfly. Once a year millions of a special long-living generation of Monarchs migrate from the north-eastern United States and southern Canada to the Oyamel fir forests of Mexico, where they survive the winter. But then, as soon as they feel the first warmth of spring they all set out on the return journey through the Rio Grande and Texas, procreating on the way, until the second and third generations arrive back at the Great Lakes to start the cycle all over again. Award-winning nature photographer Ingo Arndt has followed them on their journey while the accompanying informative text by Claus-Peter Lieckfeld and Peter Huemer explains the latest research on the migration and describes in detail the transformation from caterpillar to magnificently coloured butterfly.