Stream now with KPBS Passport on KPBS+ / Watch Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026 at 2 p.m. on KPBS TV
"Beauty on The Wing: Life Story of The Monarch Butterfly" chronicles the extraordinary journey of the monarch butterfly as it unfolds along the coasts of New England and in the heart of Mexico’s forested volcanic mountains. Every stage of the monarch’s life cycle is experienced in vibrant close-ups, from egg to caterpillar to adult. Through this story of adaptation and survival, "Beauty on The Wing" explores the symbiotic relationship between habitats and the vital role they play in our interconnected ecosystems.
Horses neigh, bugs crawl across the lens, and Monarchs flutter in the background— interview on the mountaintop and it was all beautiful!!! Interview with Tom Emmel, filmed at the top of the Sierra Chincua Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Angangueo, Mexico. Tom Emmel is the Director of the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity at the Museum of Natural History of the University of Florida, Gainesville. This was Tom's 40th trip to Angangueo to study the Monarchs. In this interview, he provides some historical perspective from those very first trips to the remote Oyamel fir forests atop the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Mountains. We learn how scientists count millions of Monarchs. Tom discusses the state of the Monarch migration today and why it is in crisis. Additional footage shot at El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Reserve. La Llorona performed by Musette Duo; Madalyn Blanchett on flute and Terry Muska on classic guitar.
View the gallery of photos:
1 of 10
Monarch Butterfly Cerro Pelon
A Kim Smith film
2 of 10
El Rosario drinking mountain stream
A Kim Smith film
3 of 10
Monarch Butterfly Black Cherry Tree, Essex County
A Kim Smith film
4 of 10
Monarch butterfly on asters
A Kim Smith film
5 of 10
Monarch and Zinnia elegans
A Kim Smith film
6 of 10
Monarch butterflies seaside goldenrod
A Kim Smith film
7 of 10
Monarch Butterfly Seaside Goldenrod
A Kim Smith film
8 of 10
Monarchs Seaside Goldenrod
A Kim Smith film
9 of 10
Monarch Life Stages - Chrysalis
A Kim Smith film
10 of 10
Monarch caterpillar
A Kim Smith film
Watch On Your Schedule: KPBS+ is a new free streaming video app designed for ease and enjoyment everywhere you watch including Roku, smart TVs and mobile devices. It’s locally curated for San Diego by the KPBS programming team. With a clean and intuitive design, discovering and enjoying KPBS and PBS content on-demand has never been easier.
You can also tune in live to watch our four TV channels in real time: KPBS, KPBS 2, Create, KPBS Kids 24/7. We also added a new channel - FNX (First Nation Experience).
Your KPBS Passport member benefit works on KPBS+ too! You’ll have access to even more great shows when you simply log in with your KPBS Passport account.
Several readers have written to ask how do I manage to have so many Monarch Butterfly caterpillars and chrysalises. The answer is very simple–because we have planted a wonderful little milkweed patch! We grow both Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) and Marsh Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) side-by-side. Our milkweed patch is planted near our kitchen. When washing the dishes, I can look out the window and watch all the pollinators and fabulous activity that takes place at the milkweed patch.
Distributed by American Public Television
