Prepare to be awed by the beauty and abundance of monarch butterflies, captured as never before in this large-format coffee table book from a National Geographic Explorer.

More than 140 breathtaking photographs fill this book, many unique glimpses of monarchs in the Mexico mountains where they overwinter. Page upon beautiful page, chock-full of glorious butterflies!

With a riot of color and incredible images of the beloved butterfly in all its stages and locations, Jaime Rojo’s Monarchs—the first significant photographic book about the monarch butterfly—is the culmination of a 20-year-long quest by an award-winning photographer to reveal the migration, behavior, and fragility of this iconic species. 

In words and pictures, Rojo tracks the journey that all North American monarchs follow—an amazing annual round-trip migration thousands of miles long. Rojo’s personal narrative and unique photographs begin in the concentrated Mexican forests where millions of butterflies overwinter. From there, he travels to the American heartland, sharing both wonder and distress over the dwindling presence of milkweed, the monarch caterpillar’s necessary food. 

We meet not only the iconic butterfly but also the people along the way who treasure these beautiful creatures: Michoacan residents who adorn their Day of the Dead celebrations with monarch designs; scientists who are bringing cutting-edge technology to the study of this remarkable migration; and legions of Canadians and Americans who work together, planting pollinator gardens and raising, tagging, and releasing monarchs in a passionate effort to support the species. 

For all who love the monarch butterfly—and everyone who marvels at the colors, patterns, and remarkable life cycles of nature—this beautiful book with its one-of-a-kind photographs will be a treasure enjoyed for years to come.

• LEGIONS OF FANS AND PROTECTORS: Every year, thousands of volunteers along the monarch’s long migration route engage in monarch-related activities; many gardeners plant milkweed, essential to monarch survival. These enthusiasts are a book-buying audience: educated, often retired, and always passionate.
• CAPTIVATING, AWARD-WINNING IMAGERY: Rojo was named 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year for his monarch imagery; his 2024 TED talk about his work on the butterfly’s amazing migration has garnered more than half a million views; his monarch photography was the January 2025 cover story of National Geographic. 

• NOTEWORTHY FOREWORD AUTHOR: Bestselling science writer Elizabeth Kolbert contributes the foreword, reaffirming Rojo's environmental message. 

• ENTERPRISE ALIGNMENT: Timed to be available as Rojo embarks on a three-year tour of public talks for NG Live!, this book will have a built-in audience of fans dazzled by his imagery and storytelling.