Monarch butterflies are dying. Saving them changed David Romero's life — and his art

Mexican-Canadian artist David J. Romero — also known as Lord Mariposa, or "Lord Butterfly" — migrates seasonally between Montreal and his homeland, Mexico. Most of his artwork revolves around the theme of the monarch butterfly. He seeks to bring awareness to the ecological threat this symbol of metamorphoses is facing.

Romero has been passionate about monarch butterflies since childhood, but it was only after his studies in fine arts and cinema in Montreal that they became his real obsession. He finds inspiration in them for his photos, paintings and installations — and he finds a compelling parallel between the insect's migration and his own movements through North America.

In November 2019, Romero moved back to Mexico after two years of absence in order to visit the sanctuary of monarch butterflies again, in the state of Michoacán, from where he originates. In this video, filmmaker Thomas Szacka-Marier meets with him as he takes his seven-year-old brother for a photo shoot in El Rosario, a wonderful reserve in the heart of a Michoacán forest.

Every year, monarch butterflies cross the North American continent, from Canada to Michoacán, to escape the harsh winter. For their body size, the distance that the butterfly covers from Mexico to Canada would be proportionate to a human traveling to the sun and back. 

With the help of his sister, Romero also founded an international NGO called Todos Somos Mariposas (or We're All Butterflies) that works together with the Purépecha people, who are indigenous to the forests where the butterflies find shelter. Through artistic and scientific projects all along the migratory route, the organization aims to protect and promote the monarch butterfly migration. And it's important to note, illegal forest cutting around the Michoacán state has threatened the monarch butterfly sanctuary. Recently, two murders of workers at the butterfly sanctuary have pointed to the danger that accompanies work to protect the species.

You can follow David Romero here.