Closed Captioned
Grades 6-12, College, Adult
Directed by Michael Simpson
Produced by Asterisk Productions
DVD Purchase $79, Rent $45
US Release Date: 1997
Copyright Date: 1997
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-349-8
VHS ISBN: 1-56029-730-1
Subjects
Animal Behavior/Communication
Animals
Butterflies
Canadian Studies
Conservation
Ecology
Endangered Species
Environment
Habitat
Insects
Life Science
Mexico
Migration
Science Methods
Wildlife
Awards and Festivals
Best Independent Program, International Wildlife Film Festival
Bronze Apple, National Educational Media Network Competition
Honorable Mention, Columbus International Film & Video Festival
OWAA Showcase, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh
SciFest, Vancouver
Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival
A Butterfly Beyond Borders
The latest findings on the life cycle and migration of the familiar, yet mysterious, butterfly.
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"An incredible visual treat." Monarch News |
The monarch butterfly is at once the most familiar and the most mysterious butterfly in the world. It amazes us for what we know about its life and it tantalizes us for the secrets it still holds within its delicate frame - secrets that scientists and lay people in North America have been trying to unravel for decades.
We know that monarchs east of the Rockies travel thousands of miles every winter to specific sites in Mexico, while those west of the Rockies migrate to sites in California. How they find their way to sites they have never seen before remains a puzzle.
Today monarchs face environmental threats at both ends of their migratory route. This beautiful documentary looks at what we now know but more importantly it reveals what we still do not know about this amazing creature.
Also available in Spanish as LA MONARCA: MARIPOSA SIN FRONTERAS.
Reviews
"An incredible visual treat...It would make a great addition to any monarch enthusiast's collection."
Monarch News
"Butterflies are the charismatic megafauna of the insect world. They have the capacity to charm us out of our squeamishness long enough to notice the beauty and the fragility of this other order...The migration of the monarchs is a spectacle that most of us will never personally witness, but this film brings us close enough to care. That's the power of this well-filmed hour."
Janine Benyus, author of Biomimicry
"Does an excellent job of describing what we do know about the Monarch and presents a balanced account of the challenges faced by this species...I recommend this film very highly. It would be an excellent addition to any school or public library."
Barb Butler, University of Oregon, MC Journal
"This video, superbly done, tells it all in a way that fans the flames of interest and wonder over this marvelous migratory insect, and its plight and the implications of that plight for man."
The Toledo Blade