"I'm amazed at how worn some monarchs look, with nicks, tears, scratches and worn spots," says Dr. Karen Oberhauser. "We saw some butterflies in Mexico that were missing over half of their wing area, but they could still fly!"

What might cause scratches and scrapes to the butterflies pictured here?

Photo © Elizabeth Howard

It's fun to inspect the wings of monarchs that are wintering in Mexico. Imagine how far these wings have traveled!