Float like a butterfly. No, they’re not leaves. These trees in Michoacán, Mexico, are actually adorned with millions of sleeping Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus). The monarchs form dense clusters high up in the trees to rest and recover their strength after migrating around 3,000 miles from Canada and the United States during spring. This shot, captured by wildlife photographer Jaime Rojo, won the grand prize at this year’s Big Picture photography competition (see below for a selection of other winners). “Sights like this could potentially become rare in the future,” Rojo says in his competition entry. That’s “because of the realities of climate change, deforestation, and pesticide exposure, including an overall loss of the milkweed plant, the only plant in which the Monarchs lays their eggs.”
