On the Wings of a Butterfly

About this episode

We can now follow where Monarch butterflies go when they leave our gardens with tiny sensors that track their impressive 3,000-mile migrations from Canada to Mexico. The significant challenges that the journey poses are depicted in a new science exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History featuring artwork by Mad Magazine illustrator and environmentalist Peter Kuper. Their plight highlights the threats that chemicals and habitat loss pose to all insects, but all is not dire. Surprising research into how Monarchs protect themselves from disease shows the remarkable self-healing capacities of not only our colorful, vital pollinators but a diversity of species, from birds to dogs to chimpanzees. Guests: Sean Decatur – President of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City Jessica Ware – Entomologist, Chair of the Division of Invertebrate Zoology, Curator, Monarch’s Journey at the American Museum of Natural History Peter Kuper – Graphic novelist whose work appears regularly in Charlie Hebdo, The New Yorker, The Nation, and Mad Magazine, where he has written and illustrated “Spy vs. Spy” since 1997, illustrator of the AMNH exhibition, Monarch’s Journey Ma