Let's start with the weather this past week. It has been warm and feels more like September than November. The beautiful fall colors have faded to brown, dead leaves and now they are falling leaving many trees totally bare. Most of the wildflowers in the Arb have gone to seed. I'm not seeing many insects although I did see a mosquito today.
Published: 11/04/2020
Published: 11/04/2020
November 1st found the El Capulin cemetery eerily empty. An official sign at the gate required the application of hand gel, the use of masks, and visits of 15 minutes or less. There was no gel on hand, only a smattering of masks in use, and the one significant gathering, a new widow and her adult children surrounded by coolers and a sound system, looked like they weren’t leaving anytime soon.
This week monarch sightings were limited to coastal California and the southern deserts of Arizona after a recent cold spell that dropped temperatures below freezing in the higher elevations of the region. Despite the low temperatures, small pockets of rabbitbrush and other flowers were still available as limited nectar resources to monarchs on the final leg of their migration journey.
What's happening in the world of birds but restricted to the Arboretum?
Published: 10/27/2020
Dear friends,
The past week seemed to progress at a normal pace. Monarchs were just a few hundred kilometers from the overwintering Sanctuaries. And then a massive arrival of monarchs! Amazing.
Winds from the north helped monarch numbers explode in the greater Phoenix area in Arizona this past week along with sunny days and warm temperatures. Monarchs also were reported in New Mexico and California and near their migration destinations. But as this new week dawned, a drastic change in weather conditions in the Southwest snuffed out further migration movement.
Thanks to Ms. Estela Romero and Dr. Ellen Sharp, Journey North is able to bring our readers news about monarch butterflies from the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (Mariposa Monarca Biosphere Reserve) in Mexico. These Letters From The Field herald the arrival of millions of monarchs to their overwintering habitat in the high altitude forests situated within the states of Mexico and Michoacán. From October to February, Ms. Romero and Dr.
Published: 10/21/2020
Despite the unusual conditions that the Covid-19 pandemia has imposed in our lives, the monarch overwintering areas in Central México prepare to welcome the incredible Mathusalen Monarchs generation within a few days.
