Watch as this hairstylist-turned-butterfly savior witnesses clusters of Monarchs in flight
A hair stylist from Ithaca, New York, is imploring the world to save Monarch butterflies.
Known as the Monarch Butterfly Lady, Rose Cochran's enthusiasm began 18 years ago while cutting her cousin Teresa Sharp's hair. A chrysalis she kept in a tank at her salon began to unfurl and reveal a newly transformed Monarch — the women were amazed, and from then on, Rose was hooked.
She's been rescuing butterflies ever since.
"I got involved with Monarch Watch, which is at the University of Kansas. They said they're becoming endangered, and I thought, well, what can I do to help? How can I possibly do something to make a difference? So I started trying to find caterpillars," Cochran said.
Five years ago, Cochran started to place terrariums filled with milkweed and caterpillars in her salon, placing signs outside the building asking clients not to slam the door so as not to disturb the fragile creatures in her care. At one point she housed over 300 butterflies.
"I started realizing that there was a problem with the butterflies. So I started slowly bringing chrysalis into the salon, and I realized there was interest," Cochran said. "Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on milkweed. There's not enough milkweed, that's the issue. So I'm trying to find organic milkweed."
According to World Wildlife Organization monitoring reports, the Monarch butterfly population has decreased by more than 80 percent during the last three decades. Their decline is attributed to herbicide use in the U.S., resulting in the loss of milkweed, climate variation in North America, and forest degradation in the butterfly's Mexican reserve.
"Each butterfly has an ID number. I tagged one with Monarch Watch and they actually found one of my butterflies in Mexico," Cochran said. "It flew 2,662 miles from Ithaca, New York."In February 2023, Cochran travelled to a butterfly sanctuary in Michoacán, Mexico, with a group of entomologists from the University of Kansas to see a kaleidoscope of butterfly clusters firsthand. "When I saw them, it was a life-changing experience for me," Cochran said. "It'll make me cry again, but that's okay. When I first got to the sanctuary, there were so many things that were going through my mind. It was a very emotional experience."
Watch the moment a chrysalis transforms into a butterfly in Rose's salon, and her heartfelt reaction to witnessing a flutter of Monarchs at a sanctuary in Mexico.
According to Cochran, one of the primary motivating forces for her butterfly passion has to do with her cousin Teresa, who has since passed away from breast cancer in 2015.
"Every time I see a butterfly, I think of her. Teresa is a huge part of this," Cochran said. "It's the memories and watching miracles. I think sometimes all of us, we just need a miracle." Cochran remains on a mission to plant more milkweed and discourage the use of pesticides, which are harmful to the majestic creatures.
"It's gonna take the world to get the Monarchs out of the endangered list," said Cochran. "They will be extinct. They will be if we don't all just start paying attention to our environment."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hairstylist sees clusters of Monarchs in flight at butterfly sanctuary