The monarch butterfly, as known as Danaus plexippus, is often called the milkweed butterfly because its larvae eat the milkweed plant. They are also sometimes called "royalty butterflies" because their family name comes from the daughter of Danaus, ruler of Argos. There are many other interesting facts about this butterfly including its anatomy and life cycle, where the butterfly lies on the food chain, the migration from Canada to Mexico, why the butterfly is being threatened, and lastly, what is being done to help the butterfly. The anatomy of the monarch starts with it coloring. The monarch butterfly is bright orange with a white spots in a black margin around the edges. The veins on the wings are also black. The caterpillar is
Second, is a genetically engineered corn. The corn is engineered to be insect resistant which when the milkweed plant grows on the edges of the fields, the studies have shown the monarchs are being killed (Stix, 1999). Lastly, is the interpopulation of the monarch butterfly. The monarchs live on both sides of the Rocky Mountain Range. Some scientist have taken the monarch west of the Rockies and mixed them with the monarchs east of the Rockies and vice versa. There are two arguments against this interpopulation. First, transferred butterflies can bring infectious and lethal diseases into new populations. Second, transfers may hurt or confuse our understanding of the biology of the monarch. With all these different ways man is endangering the monarch butterfly; it makes us wonder what can be done about it (Brower, et al, 1995). In Mexico, a man by the name of Jose Luis Alvarez, is working to teach the local ejidatarios on how make better use of their land (Clattenburg, 2004). In the past ten years, he claims he has plant over a million new trees to help with the deforestation and the demise of the monarch (Clattenburg, 2004). In the US, the corn industry is hurting by the genetic engineered corn. It cannot sell the corn to European markets so the engineered corn is not the premium corn on the market. With the help of Alvarez, Mexico will still be the place of the monarchs winter home, and the human race