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Arts & Culture

NOVA: The Incredible Journey Of The Butterflies

Monarchs clustered in a tree.
Kevin McMahon
Monarchs clustered in a tree.

Airs Wed., April 30, 2014 at 9 p.m. & Sun., May 4 at 3 p.m. on KPBS TV

Monarch butterfly. Every year, 100 million Monarch butterflies set off on an incredible journey across North America. These beautiful creatures fly 2,000 miles to reach their remote destination, a tiny area high in the mountains of Mexico.
Courtesy of Kevin McMahon
Monarch butterfly. Every year, 100 million Monarch butterflies set off on an incredible journey across North America. These beautiful creatures fly 2,000 miles to reach their remote destination, a tiny area high in the mountains of Mexico.
Homero Aridjis, writer, and Lincoln Brower, America's leading Monarch butterfly biologist.
Courtesy of Kevin McMahon
Homero Aridjis, writer, and Lincoln Brower, America's leading Monarch butterfly biologist.

Explore the science behind the headlines in PBS’ premier science series. With compelling stories and spectacular visuals, NOVA programs demystify science and technology for viewers of all ages and spotlight people involved in scientific pursuits.

"The Incredible Journey Of The Butterflies" - Every year, 100 million monarch butterflies set off on an incredible journey across North America. These beautiful creatures fly 2,000 miles to reach their remote destination: a tiny area high in the mountains of Mexico.

Yet scientists are still puzzling over how the butterflies achieve this tremendous feat of endurance - and how, year after year, the monarchs navigate with such hair's-breadth precision.

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"NOVA" flies along with the monarchs, visiting the spectacular locations they call home and meeting the dangers they encounter along the way. As this program reveals, the monarch is a scientific marvel locked in an inspiring struggle for survival.

This episode originally aired in 2010.

Past episodes of NOVA are available for online viewing. NOVA is on Facebook, and you can follow @novapbs on Twitter.

NOVA: The Incredible Journey Of The Butterflies