The splashy monarch butterfly only lives about five weeks, but its entire survival is in question due to threats posed by development and pesticides.

What sounded like leaves rustling in the wind was the flickering wings of thousands of monarch butterflies as they flitted through the oyamel fir forest. I opened my eyes and sat on the forest floor,

The monarch was placed on a waitlist until last December, when the agency formally proposed the butterfly's Endangered Species Act listing and unveiled a list of recommended conservation efforts. This began the initial public comment period, which ended March 12.