In February 2024, dear old friends Emily Wrubel and Judy Fink took the trip of a lifetime to the Mariposa Monarcha Biosphere Reserve in Angangueo, Mexico, where our eastern monarch butterflies journey to spend the winter.

Several years ago, Judy, a Dummerston resident and monarch butterfly enthusiast, planted swamp milkweed in her kitchen garden, which that summer attracted scores of monarchs. They deposited their tiny eggs on the plants’ leaves and flowers. The emerging caterpillars devoured all but the branches, formed jewel-like chrysalides on chairs, eaves and hoses, and then metamorphosized into splendid adult butterflies. Those very butterflies – the super migrators - embarked on an epic southward journey to Mexico. The following two summers, in partnership with the Dummerston Conservation Commission, Judy invited community members to participate in a local monarch project. For two summers, an enthusiastic group planted swamp milkweed in their gardens and monitored the health of the monarch population. In the meantime, Emily, who lives in Hillsboro, NH, planted her own pollinator garden, and included swamp milkweed plants that Judy had given her. She also participated in a butterfly banding project at the Harris Center in Hancock, NH. When the opportunity came to travel to Angangueo, how could we refuse?

Come join us on our monarch journey, as we recount our adventures here at home and as we travel three thousand miles and 11,000 feet in elevation to stand among the millions of wintering monarchs in Mexico. We will share our photos, videos, stories, give you a glimpse of what we’ve learned about the amazing monarch life cycle, and let you know how you can get involved in conserving this fragile species.