Monarchs Have Left
Seems like only yesterday that the monarchs arrived on the Day of the Dead in November. For nearly five months, the monarchs graced their ancestral homes among Oyamel forests in Mexico and Michoacán states, in Central México. They have now returned north to breed.
The last stopping point in the Rio Grande valley site is now empty of monarchs.
Much needed rain graced California and Arizona this week in a multi-day precipitation event (which is what we call a rainy spell), accompanied by cooler temperatures. This limited monarch movement in the West, but they still appeared on sunny days embedded in the rains.
Indeed, warm temperatures of 25-26 Centigrade, has encouraged Monarchs to depart. Fortunately, for the last five consecutive days, we have had rain in the afternoons, which has been good for the Monarchs that are still with us.
The weather has been fairly warm but the evenings tend to cool down, These cool nights might help hold Monarchs in place at least for a little while before the final massive departure. There are clouds showing in the sky which could bri
The massive departure of the Monarchs has begun in considerable proportions for both El Rosario and Sierra Chincua Sanctuaries. Departures from El Rosario appear to be higher. Temperatures continue to increase, without any cooling respite.
The Western monarch overwintering population is low again this year, but there is much to celebrate as well. The Xerces Society announced the results of the Western Monarch Thanksgiving count in January. The number of monarchs counted this year along the California coast came to a total of 29,418. While more sites were visited than last year, it does reflect a slight increase of 2,200 monarchs.
Signs of the Season!
Dear Friends:
Wintry conditions have hit the northern states of México with temperatures ranging from 2 to 6 degress Celsius. Yet, despite the chilly and foggy weather conditions in our region, Monarch Butterfly Sanctuaries officially opened last Saturday on November 16th. With the announcement, there was a burst of festivities, color, excitement and celebration by local communities and outsiders!
