Yo Wants to Know

by Lea and Alan Daniel

Yo and Grandpa stand in a field with a book on butterflies.

“Let's look for monarch butterflies,” says Grandpa.

“OK,” says Yo. “What color are they?”

“Black and orange,” says Grandpa.

Grandpa is pointing to the sky with Yo looking up to him

“It may be too late in the season for them. Last night was chilly. Hey, Yo, what's so funny?”

“Nothing,” says Yo.

“Monarchs can't stand cold,” says Grandpa. “When it cools off around here, they go to a warm place, like Mexico.”

“That's far away, right?” asks Yo.

Grandpa stands with butterflies on his hat, while Yo reads a book
there is a closeup of a butterfly perched on a flower

“Yes, but they're strong fliers,” says Grandpa. “They rest in trees at night.

“They stop to sip nectar from flowers and water from streams and puddles.

“After weeks of flying, they reach their winter home.”

“We'll watch for monarchs next summer,” says Grandpa. “There will be lots of them around here then.”

“I think you should check out your hat, ” says Yo.

“Ha!” says Grandpa. “Now I know what was so funny.”

Grandpa takes off his hat and looks at the butterflies

Vocabulary

nectar:
A sweet liquid found in many flowers.

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Activity

  1. Look at the illustrations. Think about where the monarch butterflies will go next. What season is it now?
    How do you know?
  2. Why do the monarch butterflies fly to Mexico?
    Name two reasons.
  3. What might happen if the butterflies did not fly to Mexico?