This surgery was a total metamorphosis!
An injured monarch butterfly with a ripped-off wing is able to fly again thanks to a first-of-its kind transplant at a nature preserve on Long Island.
The endangered beauty underwent a wild new surgery to receive a replacement wing from a similarly sized dead butterfly at Sweetbriar Nature Center, according to footage.
The injured insect is shown having its wing delicately replaced with fine tools — then happily fluttering away “so it can continue its migration down to Mexico,” the center said in the footage, which was posted on Facebook last week.
“Using a wing from a deceased butterfly, we carefully matched it to the broken wing and performed a delicate repair. The result? You’d never know this monarch is flying with a replacement wing,” a rep for the center wrote.
“Watching it take off brought tears to my eyes—this tiny traveler now has a second chance at life, and at completing its incredible journey.”
The winged wonder made its incredible comeback after a Good Samaritan first called to ask if the nature center could help repair its injury.
Other details about how the wing transplanted were not immediately clear Thursday.
Monarchs are the only known insect to migrate two ways for thousands of miles on an epic, multi-generational journey every year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
Scientists believe the captivating creatures may use the sun’s position, the Earth’s magnetic field, and other natural cues to find their way from the Northern US to sites in Mexico and the coastline of southern California.
In recent decades, their population has declined dramatically as its food source, milkweed, has been wiped out by herbicides.
Their population in North America has plunged up to 72% between 2012 and 2022, according to The International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
The insect was placed on the endangered species list in July 2022 because of its fast-dwindling numbers.
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