Monarch butterflies are commonly found in Illinois from May through October. Monarchs living east of the Rockies (including those from Illinois) spend the winter in a mountainous area in central Mexico, some leaving as early as August to begin this 2000-mile flight. In 1974, a Dennis School third-grade class in Decatur proposed the orange and black Monarch Butterfly as the State's Official Insect. Rep. Webber Borchers of Decatur introduced a bill in the General Assembly, and the schoolchildren lobbied for its passage. In 1975, the bill passed, and the Dennis School class watched Gov. Daniel Walker sign it into law.

The Time for Southern Illinois is:

Clock provided by U.S. Naval Observatory