Mexico’s Monarchs: Where Ecotourism Matters

What is the sound of ten million butterfly wings?  I found the answer to that Zen-like question in the forests of the central Mexico highlands.  Here in a few remote stands of tall oyamel firs lie the ancestral wintering grounds of the monarch butterfly, undiscovered by researchers till 1975.

I recently returned from a week-long trip to the “Kingdom of the Monarchs” with Natural Habitat Adventures.  Our group of 12 commenced our trip in Mexico City, accompanied by two naturalist guides, Carlos and Fernando.  A 5-hour drive northwest took us out of the urban crush of traffic and asphalt and into the clear mountain air at 10,000 feet, where we set out in search of the butterflies.

A hike into El Rosario Sanctuary, the largest of several butterfly reserves in the region, revealed a few delicate creatures flitting through the meadows at the summit.  But then, as we ventured into the trees, our  group realized we were not looking at Spanish moss hanging heavy from the fir branches, but massive clumps of butterflies, so many that the boughs bent beneath their weight.  They coated the trunks, too, like thick bark.  As it was cool and cloudy, they stayed mostly huddled together for warmth.

The next day we rode horses into nearby Chincua sanctuary, in the sunshine.  As we approached the grove, the air was a flurry of butterflies, their translucent orange wings, thinner than parchment, backlit by the sun.  It sounded as if a gentle rain was falling, or a breeze was rustling dry leaves.  Hundreds of thousands fluttered about, a river of orange against the blue sky, sometimes landing to sip nectar or alight on our shoulders. 

The monarchs arrive here above the village of Angangueo,in early November.  Locals have long believed  the butterflies are the souls of their dead ancestors come home.  They journey from the northeastern U.S. and Canada to these sheltered forests where they are protected from winter weather.  In early spring they mate, setting out again in mid-March for the milkweed fields of Texas and Louisana.  Here, a new generation is born and continues the flight north.

The monarchs’ 3,000-mile migration remains largely a mystery to scientists.  How a new generation of butterflies manages to find its way to these isolated sanctuaries, having never been here before, is one of nature’s true marvels.  But recent habitat loss is a major threat to the monarchs’ winter home.  Illegal logging has hurt much of the forest ecosystem the monarchs rely on.  While the butterflies aren’t yet endangered, the habitat that sustains their migration is.  Local residents recognize the economic value of butterfly visitors, however, and a commitment by the Mexican government to step up ranger patrols in the sanctuaries is leading to more protection for the monarchs.  As monarch tourism grows, so do the chances for their continued existence.

 Safe travels,

Wendy