Every year, monarchs work their way north from their wintering grounds in Mexico in multiple generations. They lay eggs on milkweed plants, those eggs hatch into caterpillars, then transform into butterflies who press onward further north — repeating the cycle until the year’s final hatch flies 2,000 miles back to Mexico to spend the winter. 

Migratory monarchs have been decreasing, however, with the lowest number ever recorded in 2014. Alfonso Alonso, director of field programs for the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, will discuss the reasons for the decline and elaborate on the actions that must be taken to maintain the migration.

828.526.2623. 

A program on the monarch butterfly and their plight will also be held on at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, at the Canton library in Haywood County by a Haywood Master Gardener, including a tour of the Monarch Waystation, part of the Giving Garden located on the library grounds. Stay tuned for more details as the program draws nearer.