See the Monarch Butterflies

hanging in long strands from the eucalyptus trees

so I’ve taken friends there to share, and the girls of course.

Surrounded by butterflies at 10,000’
By Nancy V. Sont

Last winter, I had the incredible experience of being surrounded by monarch butterflies on the top of a mountain in Michoacan, Mexico. It was like being in the midst of an orange snowstorm, a snowstorm of large fluttering flakes. Impossible as it is to hear the wings of a butterfly, on the mountain the beating of their wings was so loud I recalled the sound of dry leaves falling. Indeed the whole experience was rather like being in the midst of orange leaves falling from a maple tree.

Some people on the dusty trail up the mountain through the tall oyamel fir trees had their mouths covered with surgical masks to keep the butterflies out. Each step up the mountain meant watching the ground to be sure that mating butterflies were safe from being trampled.

Just up from the parking lot at the beginning of the trail upward, two exuberant birders from Toronto who had come to a meeting in Mexico were thunderstruck. “This is nothing, wait till you get up there at the top. This is magic and now they’re pouring off the mountain. When we arrived before dawn, it looked like huge fungus was hanging from all the trees. Then as the sun touched them, their wings opened and the whitish clumps turned to yellow. If I was a composer I could write music to this,” said John Lounds.

Michael Bradstreet from Victoria Ontario said as he sat on a bench. “I ran out of words. It’s awe inspiring and almost incomprehensible. I’d stand up there thinking there can’t be any more and I’d look up a there’d be garlands of more. It’s incredible. When I think they come from Canada!

While sanctuary workers hosed down the ground making a damp areas or shallow puddles, multitudes of butterflies covered nearly the entire surface as well as the damp ground nearby.

As we walked the mile or more up the mountain, pausing frequently for a bit of extra oxygen as we neared 10,000’, some of the 40 million butterflies were flying down the mountain to find moisture to drink. Where the sun had not yet touched some of the treetops, butterflies upon butterflies covered each twig like some great nest, swelling each twig’s size to gigantic proportions. The entire view up into the canopy was a strange scene, large, darkly shadowed, two-foot-wide masses hung on each thin branch.

The trunks of the trees were also covered with butterflies that were piggy-backing each other, enlarging the trunks far beyond their normal sizes.

As the sun began to touch a section of treetop, the butterflies would open their wings. Being solar powered, they would wait for awhile. Then as they gathered enough energy, they would begin to leave their resting spot. I was reminded of the way a cattail expands voluminously as it is scratched. The seeds each become uncompressed and open into the air becoming a huge cloud instead of a tight pod. The same happens with milkweed seedpods. As the skin is broken the seeds expand and fill the air. So it was with the butterflies, as they began to take flight. It was as if a million expanded from one point, filling the sky with an orange cloud, the most distant ones looking like pepper spilled on the blue background.

I had refused to leave the mountain top with the crowd that was pouring up the trail, around the top and down the other side. I was determined to see as much as I could. I had traveled a long way to see them.

My guide, Raul Chavez of ‘Operadora Monarca’ pointed out the difference between the sexes. The males have black dots on the end of their wings, while the females have thicker black lines. The tip of the female’s body is rounded, while the male’s is scissor shaped.

Spanish signs along the trail explained the life cycle of the Monarch butterflies, for the 400,000 tourists that visit the sanctuary annually. Both the males and females hatched in August fly to the transvolcanic mountains of Mexico where they overwinter, totaling 250 million butterflies, the entire monarch population in eastern North America. (The western population goes to 25 sites along the California coastline.) A few days after mating, the males die on the mountain. The females return northward, some as far as Canada, 1500 or more miles away. Along the way home, each butterfly stops at milkweed plants and lays eggs. When they complete their northern migration, only one butterfly arrives in a place, perhaps seen by a lucky observer. It lays the rest of its up to 1000 eggs and then dies.

For a month there appear to be no monarchs. Over the course of the month, the eggs hatch into caterpillars and feed on the milkweed, then turn into butterflies. Only 16% of the eggs mature to butterflies. That’s because eggs are right at the bottom of the food chain. Spiders, ants, caterpillars and insects of all varieties eat them.

Once the butterflies come out of their chrysalises, they are protected. Their wings contain a poison that will kill birds. It comes from eating the milkweed plants. In Mexico however, four birds eat the monarchs. Scott’s oriole and Stellar’s jay feed on them from time to time. According to Monarch Watch, black-headed grosbeaks and black-backed orioles are the main Monarch predators, they kill up to 44% of them at the Mexican roosting sites.

These two species feed twice daily at the roosts in mixed flocks of five to at least 60 birds and annually consume several million Monarchs. They eat only the body and avoid the butterflies’ poison-laden cuticles and their wings. They also avoid the females which are more toxic.

These summer butterflies live for about two weeks while they lay eggs, then die, their lifecycle being only about a six weeks long. This goes on for three months or generations, probably to replenish their numbers. The fourth generation of butterflies, those that emerge in August will live, not for a month, but for six to nine months while both the males and females head back to Mexico to the place visited by their ancestors last winter, four generations before. To get there, they float on air currents, expending only 1% of their energy on the long trip. It usually takes about 45 days to get there from Canada. Whales and ducks follow the leader, but monarchs each know where to go so they don’t have to wait for a group. Some do go in a flock, while some will leave earlier and some later. It can take 15-20 days for all the butterflies to arrive, and then as long to leave again in the spring.

As we left the signs that explained the life cycle of the butterflies and headed back down the mountain, local groups of school children as well as tourists from all over the world filled the dusty path.

Richard Hitz, of New Bronfels, Texas said, “I’ve spent three days watching the butterflies. It’s different in the morning and in the afternoon. In the morning they’re moving down the mountain but in the afternoon they’re moving up. It’s strange, even though it’s warmer when the sun is out in the afternoon. They seem more affected by the sun than the temperature. Their clusters are almost like huge beehives.”

We had beaten the crowds by coming early in the morning. As we headed down the mountain, a cloud had obscured the sun and the butterflies were all heading back up the mountain, even though it was still mid-day.

Charles Rosenblum, from Manhattan, NY said, “I’ve always been fascinated by the idea that they all go to one place. My friends saw an ad about the trip and got researching the National Wildlife Federation and Monarch Watch on the internet. We booked up with the Natural Habitat tour out of Colorado and we’ve been here for three days.

“We were here the fist day when all the butterflies were clustering. Yesterday we went to Chincoa, the other sanctuary. It’s right up there in the woods and you’re closer to them. This morning we came back to see what it’s like when the sun warms up the clusters.

In Michoacan, there are 12 mountain tops where the monarchs overwinter. The Mexican government is very protective of the ‘Mariposa Monarcas’ and have reserved the areas as sanctuaries. Only two of the sanctuaries are open to the public, to protect their habitat.

Below the sanctuary, all along the mountain slopes, grow fields of corn. Loggers who make their living from the forest at the top are not necessarily interested in protecting the butterflies, either for the species’ habitat or the tourism income they bring.

Making the mountain top a sanctuary has meant a devastating loss to the loggers who depend on logging and marketing the trees. They have not taken the situation lightly. In the spring of 2001 a petroleum residue was discovered on the oyamel trunks. It had been sprayed on them and resulted in a ten-inch-deep bed of dead butterflies on the forest floor. In an effort to rectify the situation, as well as provide more habitats for the butterflies, the Mexican government has been planting five million trees annually. Needless to say, fewer butterflies returned northward in the spring of 2001.

However there are organizations like Monarch Watch helping to increase the monarch population in North America. Their efforts have involved one group of 13 and 14 year-old 8th graders, from Sunrise Park Middleschool, in Whitelake Minnesota. They were staying at Hotel Los Arcos in Valle de Bravo where I met them early one morning. There were 12 children, nine adults and their guide. They had come for a week.

“We’re chasing the butterflies,” student Danielle Ustruck said.

“We purchased a milkweed plant loaded with eggs from the University of Minnesota,” their science teacher Ann Feitl volunteered. “We got them in September at the beginning of the year and raised them from eggs to butterflies. Then we tagged their wings with little white stickers that have a strong adhesive backing. They’re like dots of confetti. We released them in October. We don’t expect we’ll really see any of the butterflies we tagged. They say most tags are only found if the butterfly dies.

To fund the trip, they signed up for grants and ran bake sales. With the money they raised, they bought school supplies and five Brock Magiscope microscopes that don’t use electricity to donate to two area schools. “They’re also here to sightsee,” their teacher continued, “tours like this are different than Acapulco. They visited the Rosario site for ½ day and the Chincua site for another ½ day.

Ms. Feitl stumbled upon a two-week course, ‘Monarch in the Classroom’ which she took. It works with Monarch Watch, sharing materials.

Their guide was none other than Dr. Bill Calvert from Austin, Texas and the Texas Monarch Watch., www.monarchwatch.org, the man who had discovered many of the sites where the butterflies live. He had read the National geographic article in 1976 about Fred Urguhart who pioneered butterfly tagging in 30’s. Urkhart found the sites first but wouldn’t tell where they were because the monarchs weren’t protected. He and a friend talked about finding them. They had two clues, the state of Michoacan and the 10,000’ altitude.

“We put those two clues together and there’s not too much territory. In the first year we found the Chinqua colony.” After he found one, Dr. Calvert camped in the mountains and found the other sites, all on southwest facing slopes of high massifs.

His travels were funded by Journey North, the National Science Foundation, and then Earthwatch funded his travels. He’s been down 100’s of times since then. It’s no wonder. To anyone who has visited on of the butterfly sanctuaries, neither a long monarch in the garden, a fluffy snowstorm, nor dry orange leaves falling in the autumn will ever be the same again.

If you plan to go to visit the monarchs in Mexico:

The butterflies don’t arrive in Mexico until about Nov. 2. The main season is from December until April.

The El Rosario sanctuary about three hours from Mexico City or 175 km east of Morelia, close to Angangueo. Mexicana Airlines flies into Mexico City and Morelia . The Morelia airport is only about two hours away from the monarch sites. It costs 150 pesos for a bus from Morelia to Ocampo. Ph Autobus de Occidente ph. 011-524-312-0600. The Sierra Chincua Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary is a short distance from Angangueo as is El Rosario sanctuary.

Raul Ambriz operates ‘Operadora Monarca’ from Morelia gives guided tours to visit the butterflies. He gives tours for small groups of 1-6 person, $60US or 800 pesos includes transportation in new van and an English speaking guide. It covers lunch, the 15 peso entry fee into the butterfly sanctuary and the 20 peso toll charge for the road. They leave Morelia at 7:30 am, serving café de olla on the way. Phone 011-524-313-3571 or cell phone 011-524-318-4508. They are located at Amado Nervo No. 20 Centro C.P. 58000 Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico contact him at monarca6@mich1.telmex.net.mx

A good hotel is Albergue Don Bruno Hotel located in Angangueo. Ph 0115-715-0026. If you plan to stay for the weekend, Villa Monarca Inn has all the amenities and is located just outside of Zitacuaro. Ph 01152-715-35371
Hotel Los Arcos, FCO Gonzales Bocanegra 310, Valle de Bravo, Edo. de Mexico C.P. 51200 ph, (017) 262-0042

For more information and links about monarch butterflies, check http://www.monarchwatch.org/resource/web.htm

because you have to go somewhere to see them. i saw them in rhodos, greece. and i had other wonderful adventures while there.

It’s been some time since I’ve seen even one monarch, outside Animal Crossing.

Ooops, I accidently posted thoughts on moving to a big city under my goal to see the monarch butterflies. Not sure if this is some secret message from the gods but I’l look into it!

Pherhaps it is time to spread my wings like the glorious butterfly and migrate with flighty joy!!!!

Butterflies are such beautiful creatures. I would love to see the Monarchs one day. For now I will be happy with the tiger swallowtails we have in all over my neighborhood in Virginia.

I love how graceful they are and how pretty they are.

...used to be a waypoint along a monarch migration route. It’s not any more. :( Something must have changed, maybe the trees were trimmed too much or something. But for about a week in the summer (August? I can’t remember) it was a spectacular sight. It was like orange leaves replaced the green ones, the butterflies were so thick on the branches.

I knew this gal in college who was the biggest butterfly fan on the planet. No, strike that, she was a walking butterly billboard. She wore clothing with butterflies . . . buttons, pins, etc . . . and she talked about going to see the Monarch Butterflies on their yearly migration all the time.

So she got me hooked on the idea.

Monarchs prefer to fly in open meadows, prairies, and wetlands and choose to lay their eggs on small milkweed plants found in fencerows, ditches, and pastures.

Here is a preliminary list of the some of the practices that could be adopted to help the monarchs reestablish numbers:

1) seed marginal lands, fallow lands, or set aside areas with common milkweed and butterfly weed (A. syriaca and A. tuberosa).

2) seed low areas and true wetlands with both common and swamp milkweeds (A. syriaca and A. incarnata).

3) grow milkweeds in gardens- if not common milkweeds because of a prejudice due to their reputation as weeds, then other milkweed species, such as the swamp milkweed, butterfly weed and tropical milkweed.

4) urge local (county) road crews to cut road margins once a year, either in late June or preferably toward the end of the season after the milkweed plants have seeded.

Milkweeds can be established by scattering seeds over areas that have been mowed and lightly disked or tilled as early in the spring as possible. To minimize competition with other species that will invade the seeded area, the sown area should be mowed close to the ground the next spring before growth starts. This practice will favor grasses and milkweeds and will minimize competition for light and nutrients.

If you love them, help them. We have to learn from what was not working in the past and do what we can now. ;)

“There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it’s going to be a butterfly.”
R. Buckminster Fuller