Compelled by deep instinct and the curious mind of a retired nurse, scientist, midwife, and nascent naturalist, the author retrieves a too-late-to-migrate monarch caterpillar from a December ice storm. She decides to learn all she can to care for the butterfly that soon emerges in her home while the second winter of COVID-19 rages outdoors. Each day of its longer-than-expected life brings new observations, challenges, and rewards, which the author shares with the reader as journal entries.

-How are butterflies and newborns alike?

-How and what will he eat? How often?

-Does he sleep? Where will he decide to roost?

-How long will he live?

There are bigger questions, too. What does it mean to age? How do we care for our aging? When do we stop? What can foster a peaceful demise? Read to discover fascinating details with easy-to-understand science.

In A Monarch in Winter: Biography of a Butterfly, discover

The evolutionary similarities between insects and humansRipple effects on nature and evolutionParallels in life as we cope with the global pandemicThe preciousness of every momentTrue connection and intimacy among living creatures

The author creates a new routine, a new purpose, and a special relationship with a monarch butterfly during a few months of semi-isolation during COVID-19 in 2021.