"Agrawal addresses a wide range of related topics—from the monarch's life cycle, to historic research, other invertebrates that are part of the milkweed complex, taste aversion, and even mimicry of the monarch’s coloration by other butterflies. The author’s accessible writing style will appeal to both the scientist and lay person. Helpful illustrations and photographs assist in clarifying the narrative."

"Science strongly indicates all living things evolved from a common ancestor to form the complex biosphere we inhabit on earth. Agrawal deftly plucks one strand from this web of life, the monarch butterfly, and elucidates reverberations that resonate from the dawn of time to the present and back and forth among life forms along the way. . . . Monarch life history on a toxic host laden with cardenolides and largely dependent on migrating vast distances to tiny overwintering sites and back again is the backbone of the book. . . . Color illustrations are abundantly informative, the main text font is eminently legible with a useful index, and the well bound paper stock bodes well for the physical longevity of the book."

"This comprehensive and colorful illustrated study of monarch biology and behavior . . . offers another reason to admire the versatile insect: its long and successful symbiotic relationship with the otherwise toxic milkweed plant. . . . Agrawal's book will appeal not only to butterfly enthusiasts but also to the environmentally aware and all readers who appreciate solidly written and accessible popular science."

Winner of a 2017 National Outdoor Book Award in Nature and Environment

One of Forbes.com’s 10 Best Biology Books of 2017, chosen by GrrlScientist

Honorable Mention for the 2018 PROSE Award in Popular Science & Popular Mathematics, Association of American Publishers

Longlisted for the 2018 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prizes for Excellence in Science Books, Young Adult Science Books

Winner of the 2018 CBHL Award of Excellence in Gardening and Gardens, Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries

"Fantastic, readable, scientifically rich, detailed. . . . Monarchs and Milkweed is to date the coolest nature or science book I've seen so far this year."

"Well-illustrated and informative."

"Fantastic, readable, scientifically rich, detailed. . . . Monarchs and Milkweed is to date the coolest nature or science book I've seen so far this year."

"This comprehensive and colorful illustrated study of monarch biology and behavior . . . offers another reason to admire the versatile insect: its long and successful symbiotic relationship with the otherwise toxic milkweed plant. . . . Agrawal's book will appeal not only to butterfly enthusiasts but also to the environmentally aware and all readers who appreciate solidly written and accessible popular science."

03/01/2017
Don't be fooled by the delicate beauty of monarch butterflies and milkweed: a war has raged for millions of years. Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed, a toxic plant that continuously evolves to discourage consumption. The monarchs persist, as the poison makes them literally sickening to their predators. Agrawal (ecology, evolutionary biology, & entomology, Cornell Univ.; coeditor, Insect Outbreaks Revisited) offers historical evidence and current research to explain the relationship between the two. Many visuals, such as graphs and pictures, aid the text, making the book reminiscent of a college seminar. The author's style is accessible as he stops to explain unfamiliar terms and background. However, only readers with a strong interest in butterflies and milkweed or those committed to lifelong learning will likely stay motivated to finish this volume. There has been much media coverage of the declining monarch population, with suggestions to plant more milkweed. Yet Agrawal believes that an alleged lack of milkweed isn't the real problem. He cautions that many of his peers don't agree with his theory but encourages others to figure out the mystery. VERDICT Interesting, but for a specific audience.--Elissa Cooper, Helen Plum Memorial Lib., Lombard, IL

2017-02-02
The relationship between monarch butterflies and milkweed plants, a story that is "much more…than bright coloration and a penchant for epic journeys."The monarch has an abiding fascination for scientists and nature lovers alike. An individual North America monarch may fly up to 3,000 miles from Mexico to Canada annually. Along the way, it will lay eggs on milkweed, which provide sustenance for the next generation of emerging caterpillars. Milkweed is toxic to sheep and horses but crucial to butterflies. Agrawal (Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, Entomology/Cornell Univ.) explains how the monarch and milkweed, both native to North America and likely dating back millions of years, "share a deep evolutionary history." Their relationship is an example of "coevolution," and the author shows how they "have spent millions of years evolving chemical traits and reciprocally coevolving in a manner that puts chemistry at the center of their arms race." Birds that would otherwise feed on monarchs are made nauseous if the butterflies have fed on milkweed and therefore quickly learn to avoid them. In the course of their annual, cross-country flight, the monarchs lay their eggs on the plants, providing shelter, food, and safety for their caterpillars as they emerge. The author describes the extraordinary appetite of these monarch caterpillars, whose birth weight is comparable to that of a bread crumb but whose mass quickly increases more than 200 times in the first two weeks of its life. Over time, monarch butterflies have become impervious to the toxins released by milkweed to deter pests. In response, the plant has evolved an alternate strategy, releasing a blend of volatile compounds to attract wasps that feed on the caterpillars. As Agrawal accessibly demonstrates, this is exemplary of the arms race between predator and prey, which is an important driver of evolution. A lively, highly informative introduction to significant research in ecology that highlights the importance of conserving our natural habitats.