Monarchs and Milkweed - A Migrating Butterfly, a Poisonous Plant, and Their Remarkable Story of Coevolution, Revised Edition (PRE-ORDER - DUE 3rd August 2027)

A revised and updated edition of the landmark book on the evolutionary contest between two remarkable species—with new research findings and new perspectives on conservation.

Since it was first published, Monarchs and Milkweed has transformed our understanding of how the monarch butterfly has evolved closely alongside the toxic milkweed plant and how this inextricable relationship has unfolded across millennia in a battle of exploitation and defense. Now completely revised, this fascinating book reveals how the evolutionary arms race between plant and butterfly continues to produce surprises.

Drawing on a decade of groundbreaking new research, including his own, Anurag Agrawal shows how milkweeds have modified the molecular structure of their ancient toxin, regaining power over an adversary that has evolved to tolerate their chemical defenses, and how monarchs have responded with newly discovered adaptations of their own. Examining a shifting succession of threats, from agricultural intensification and habitat loss to pesticides and climatic extremes, Agrawal argues that reversing the monarch’s decline requires more than deciding whether to place them on the endangered-species list. It demands sustained vigilance, continued research, and the capacity to respond as monarch populations and their environment continually change.

With a new preface by the author, this revised edition of Monarchs and Milkweeds takes readers on an unforgettable exploration of one of nature’s most fascinating evolutionary relationships.