Flight Behavior

novel by Kingsolver

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July 21, 2026

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Flight Behavior is a novel by Barbara Kingsolver published in 2012. The story is set in Appalachia and centers on a community's reaction to an extraordinary event: the arrival of thousands of monarch butterflies. These butterflies have altered their usual migration patterns and are overwintering in the area due to warming temperatures. The novel explores themes of environmental change and how communities respond to the unexpected. Monarch butterflies are known for their impressive annual migrations and their reliance on milkweed plants. While many butterfly migrations are multigenerational, monarchs undertake long journeys, with some individuals traveling thousands of miles.123

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Barbara Kingsolver
…warming parable set in Appalachia, Flight Behavior (2012) chronicles a community’s reactions to the astonishing arrival of thousands of monarch butterflies, which have forgone their winter migration because of warming temperatures in northern climes. In Unsheltered (2018) Kingsolver chronicled the struggles of two families that lived in the same house…
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…warming parable set in Appalachia, Flight Behavior (2012) chronicles a community’s reactions to the astonishing arrival of thousands of monarch butterflies, which have forgone their winter migration because of warming temperatures in northern climes. In Unsheltered (2018) Kingsolver chronicled the struggles of two families that lived in the same house…
Read More