If you think you've been noticing more monarch butterflies than usual lately, you're right,according to the longtime head of the Minnesota DNR's Nongame Wildlife Program, Carroll Henderson.
"I've seen more monarchs this year than I've seen for five or six years," said Henderson.
But, Henderson says we can't take our beautiful monarchs for granted. He says fewer milkweed plants where they lay their eggs and backyard pesticide use have been taking their toll.
"They have habitat limitations here. They have habitat limitations in the wintering grounds. They're a real vulnerable species, and that's why there was actually a petition to the Fish and Wildlife Service to list them as a federally threatened or endangered species," said Henderson.
In the meantime, Henderson says this summer's stunning batch will continue southward to the mountains of southern Mexico until it's time to once again turn north.
"All this knowledge is packed into their little heads in some kind of genetic code that tells them what they need to do."