An extraordinary experience awaits you at the Monarch
Butterfly Sanctuary, nestled high in the mountains of Michoacán,
Mexico. For it is here, at altitudes above 10,000 feet, that the
Monarchs take their winter rest in the sheltering forests of
oyamel fir, pine, oak and madrone. They have completed one
journey, and after hibernating through the winter months, they
will begin another. Sometime in March, the Monarchs will begin
their migration northward.
The uncountable millions of Monarchs that the visitor sees in
the sanctuary are a group called the "Methuselah" generation.
They emerge from their cocoons as far north as southern Canada,
and spend the summer fattening up on the milkweed (algodoncillo)
plant. They do not develop sexually, instead putting all of
their life force into the nearly 3,000 mile flight they must
make in the fall. They leave in August and September, averaging
45 to 80 miles a day, and arrive in Mexico in November, never
having flown the route before. Using a combination of instinct
and the ability to navigate by sun, they often arrive back at
the very same trees from which their ancestors departed. Here,
they will hibernate for the winter months.
When this "Methuselah" generation flies north in the spring
they finally become sexually active. They mate and lay eggs,
perhaps in Northern Mexico or California. Their job is done, and
they die. The succeeding generations are short-lived, lasting
only about a month, just long enough to push a few hundred miles
northward and produce another generation. So it goes for 3-5
generations, depending upon the northern terminus of the route.
The final generation to emerge in late summer will be the "Methuselahs,"
and the cycle is complete. This multi-generational migration,
which has repeated itself from time immemorial, is unique in the
insect realm.
To visit the sanctuary when the Monarchs are active is to be
immersed in a natural event that is akin to a spiritual
experience. Millions of Monarchs loft from the trees in living,
shimmering clouds and rain downward to envelop the stunned
onlooker. The whispering, murmuring sound of a countless
multitude of fluttering wings creates an aural dimension that is
mesmerizing and unlike any other. The visitor feels grateful and
privileged to have witnessed this amazing spectacle, and is glad
to learn that at least here in Mexico, every effort is being
made to preserve the habitat upon which the Monarchs rely.
Do you want to join us?.
Weekend trips open from November to middle March.
Mariposa Monarca
