Every spring, my kids and I patiently wait for the monarchs to arrive here in the Chicagoland area. Well, maybe a little impatiently and maybe it's mostly me. But the first monarch sighting is always exciting and a nice unofficial start to our summer.
Several years ago, my daughter's friend and her mom started raising monarchs. They gave us a few caterpillars and we were hooked! We've learned so much since then and look forward to the butterflies arriving every spring.
Monarch butterflies are especially interesting because, while the rest of us tough it out up north all winter, they head down to Mexico to relax in the sun. Then once things warm up, they mosey back up and grace us with their presence. Along with all the grandparents.
It's during these few warm months that we get to experience their fascinating life cycle and then send them out into the world to start it all over again.
It's become such a regular part of our lives that my mom and I decided to use the topic for our first two book releases: One,
a storybook capturing the magic of monarchs and the other a practical guide for raising monarchs with kids. We hope that they'll bring others joy through these fascinating creatures and help raise awareness to the decrease in the monarch population in recent years.
