Site 05

The Codex

A monograph in five strata, with a curator's note on what we've unearthed so far.

The Book

Monarcheology

A monograph on monarchs and milkweed, told the way an archaeologist tells the story of a dig site — one layer, one season, at a time. Part field guide, part memoir, part invitation to start your own record.

Five Strata

Stratum I

The Egg Layer

Where it all begins — milkweed, oviposition, and the first few fragile days.

Stratum II

The Instar Layer

Growth in five stages, and everything that goes wrong — or right — along the way.

Stratum III

The Chrysalis Layer

Metamorphosis, and what it teaches about patience neither the monarch nor the matriarch really has.

Stratum IV

The Migration Layer

Generations that will never meet, still finding their way to the same mountainside in Mexico.

Stratum V

The Matriarch Layer

What it means to keep a record that will outlast you — and why that's the whole point.

Curator's Note

"Every chapter of this book started as a page in the Captain's Log first. If you want to see the raw material before it was excavated into something readable, that's exactly what that section is for."

Publication date: coming soon