Why the Monarch?
Elements of nature can provide incredibly strong metaphors. We chose to incorporate the Monarch butterfly as a central visual element in our logo because of its remarkable behavior. The Monarch eggs hatch each summer throughout United States and southern Canada having been laid on a single species of plant, the milkweed. The caterpillars depend only on the milkweed for their food until forming a chrysalis. Once hatched, the wing markings on each Monarch vary widely, though the male is denoted with a pronounced spot on each wing. After mating, Monarchs will begin migrating south to congregate mostly in the mountains of central Mexico. This migration may take several generations to complete.
This remarkable journey is a powerful statement of focused energy – hundreds of miles on nearly opaque wings. Clearly, Monarchs are committed to reaching their destination. Having a single plant for its sustenance demonstrates the Monarch’s focus and symbiotic relationship to its environment. Yet each Monarch is unique and highly adapted for its incredible journey.
It is with these thoughts that we chose the Monarch. Many of its characteristics bring to mind values we hold important. Long term commitment, singleness of purpose, and uniqueness of the individual are emblematic of our core values.

There are many informative sites about Monarchs but we have enjoyed these in particular:

The Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP) began in 1997 at the University of Minnesota. It involves citizens in collecting data that will help to explain the distribution and abundance patterns of Monarch butterflies in North America.

www.mlmp.org

Butterfly Metamorphosis Photos

Butterflies belong to the insect order Lepidoptera. The word “Lepidoptera” is derived from a Greek word meaning “scale wing.” The butterfly wing scales create the wonderful colors and patterns observed in butterfly wings. There are 165,000 species of Lepidoptera worldwide, but of those, only about 24,000 are butterflies!