News from Mexico by Estela Romero: Nearly Empty!
(English/Español)
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Dear Friends,
I just returned from El Rosario. Indeed, the final leaving is occurring, and the season 2010-2011 has officially been declared closed. Here's what I found:
Photos 1 and 2: This is how empty it looks today where monarchs overwintered. The path is practically clean, with no remains of dead butterflies.
Photos 3: The ¨Llano de los Conejos¨ looks absolutely empty too. Monarchs usually move back and forth from their original point to this llano.
Photo 4: This is ¨Llano Las Balsitas¨, the place where monarchs were concentrated one week ago. It looks totally empty now, as does the path leading to it.
Photo 5: This is the most dead butterflies I could see laying along the narrow path towards Llano Las Balsitas.
BUT... there is still a considerable number of Monarchs concentrated somewhere in the west area at ¨La Salud¨, presumably in a point natives call ¨Los Letreros." It is very much into the forest still, which I could not reach because I had no guide to take me there. That is what the guard at the exit of the Sanctuary told me.
I confirmed this on my way back home, because there were still some butterflies streaming down the main road to Angangueo. They were stopping in a couple of small puddles in ¨La Salud¨community, right beside the main road, and some others resting at the ¨Hoja Ancha¨ plant. (Photos 6 and 7.)
To my question about how they feel about the season coming to its end:
"I feel not so happy that the season is over. Our community feels too quiet the rest of the year, and we have no way to get some extra income," said Mario. (Photo 8)
"It may be that if the weather continues a little fresh in the mornings and afternoons, Monarchs might still stay for one more week," Rosalía, Claudia and Joselin said. (Photo 9)
Perhaps this is my last report on monarch's spring migration. Swallows crowd our trees and the roofs of houses with their nests, and now to give birth to their little ones in the summer.
Children in the region and I should be glad and very, very interested to get questions from you about our own life as natives of this region, and how we share our forests with the monarchs. (Watch for an announcement from Journey North on April 15th to "Ask the Children in Mexico," like "Ask the Expert.")
Until later!
Your friend,
Estela Romero
Angangueo, Michoacán
Photo 1: This is how empty it looks today where monarchs overwintered.
Photo 2: The path is practically clean, with no remains of dead butterflies.
Photo 3: The "Llano de los Conejos" looks absolutely empty too.
Photo 4: This is where monarchs were concentrated one week ago.
Photo 5: This is the most dead butterflies I could see along the path towards Llano Las Balsitas.
Photo 6: They were stopping in a couple of small puddles right beside the main road.
Photo 7: Monarchs resting at the ¨Hoja Ancha¨ plant.
