Monarchs Take Flight in "My Name Is Butterfly"

Online, June 30, 2011 (Newswire.com) - While children may find butterflies and their early life as caterpillars exciting to stumble upon in the garden, "My Name Is Butterfly" will leave them with a new sense of these fascinating creatures. Mary Ellen Ryall writes and Stevie Marie Aubochan-Mendoza illustrates this beautiful little book that educates as it immerses the reader in the life of the Monarch butterfly.

This book was inspired by a butterfly birth the author witnessed in her own gardens several years ago in Minong, WI. "My Name Is Butterfly" tells the story of a young girl who stumbles upon a Monarch caterpillar in her garden one summer day. From there, she and the reader learn about the life-cycle of the Monarch as well as how to maintain a garden habitat that will keep these amazing creatures coming back year after year.

The Monarch butterfly itself is perhaps the most well-known butterfly of North America, but is also threatened by habitat loss. Deforestation in their overwintering grounds in particular have led to drastic reductions in the population. The Happy Tonics Monarch Butterfly Habitat in Shell Lake, WI was spearheaded by the author to benefit the migrating Monarchs and educate the public.

"My Name Is Butterfly" is available through Amazon for online purchase, the visitor's center for the Happy Tonics Monarch Butterfly Habitat in Shell Lake, WI, and the My Favorite Things bookstore in Shell Lake, WI.

The author Mary Ellen Ryall grew up in Saratoga Springs, NY. In pursuit of butterflies, she worked and traveled in South America in the 1970s. In the 1980s Ryall completed the Master Gardeners Program, University of the District of Columbia, and became involved with community gardens. Living in southern Maryland in the 1990s, she wrote about the environment and founded Happy Tonics. Ryall moved to Wisconsin in 2000, graduating from the Woodlands Wisdom Nutrition Project at Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College in 2003.

The illustrator Stevie Marie Aubochan-Mendoza lives with her family outside the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas, NV. She is inspired by the dusty, desert landscape and the secrets that it holds. When she isn't painting dinosaurs and dragons, she loves having tea parties and playing in the dirt with her young daughter.

For more information about "My Name Is Butterfly", please visit http://www.saltpress.com or contact Happy Tonics at (715) 468-2097.