The Wayfarer
Nature poetry: the multi-generational migration of the monarch butterfly.
Sadly, their numbers are declining, due to habitat loss and climate change. Threats include illegal logging of their roosting sites in Mexico, and a reduction of milkweed in North America.
Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed, which is also the only food eaten by their caterpillars. Milkweed has been gradually disappearing in the US and Canada over the past few decades, as the fields it once grew in have been paved to make way for cities. Weed killers have also contributed to its decline. The loss of this vital plant has resulted in a reduction in monarch breeding and migration. The easiest way to help these essential pollinators is to plant milkweed in your backyard - you can find information on this here: https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/monarch-milkweed-finder
Poetry and writing: Β© Jennifer McBride 2025 (Paperfly)
Image 1: Steve Corey, 2015. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/
Image 2: Simon Koopmann, 2006. License:https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/
Image 3: the US National Park Service, 2013. Public domain.
Image 4: Kenneth Dwain Harrelson, 2007. License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Illustration used on poetry graphic: the Denton Brothers, 1892. Public domain.
The poem makes so much sense after the explanation π, It completely went over my head earlier. If I didn't have the patience to read the explanation or if I wasn't interested in butterflies, I might not have continued reading and missed this beautiful piece. So May I suggest introducing the context first?
We left acres of our land fallow to grow milkweed and it paid off in butterflies. We recently sold it and I can only hope the new owners do the same.