Dear Friends,
I headed this weekend toward El Rosario Sanctuary, sure that this would be my final weekly visit.
When I reached La Salud community, I saw Uriel (7) and Víctor Hugo (7) who were searching with their horse for some timber to use in their home kitchens. I also saw Joel (12) and Abel (11) who immediately recognized me as 'Teacher Estela who brings symbolic monarchs when real monarchs have arrived to us.' They offered me:
"Do you want to visit the Sanctuary? We can be your guides, since you may get lost in the forest..."
I immediately accepted their offer, and all five of us went to the colony.
While on the way, we met local boys leaving the forest after collecting wood to sell for home use. They assured me we would still find lots of monarchs at the site. Nevertheless, I continued to doubt. I had seen continuous (but not abundant) leaving throughout the week and during my drive up this very morning.
I could not have been more surprised. In fact, today I experienced one of the most beautiful sanctuary visits of the season. Monarchs were still highly concentrated at the Río Grande colony. Hundreds of thousands of monarchs seemed not in the least hurry to leave.
I had the impression the colony was even a little more dense than last week. There were not more trees with clusters, but the clusters had grown in number, size, and density. Did the monarchs that had remained at Los Letreros last weekend come downwards to Río Grande and add to the already dense population? It seems to be so.
Again this weekend — the third in a row — mating monarchs were everywhere. May my words not cause offense on monarchs but they were today out of their minds. Maybe this is due to time becoming shorter and shorter for their final leaving.
My photos say more than my words ever could. Monarchs were bursting from their clusters in magnificent explosions of air — made by butterfly wings, just imagine! My emotions went from disbelief to deep awe at having a miracle in front of me.
All of us five, Uriel, Víctor Hugo, Joel, Abel and I kept silent and quiet not being words among us—not necessary—to feel the joy and presence of something so divine. How I wished today to cry out to people in my town, my country, and around the world to say:
"Could all of you be wise enough now, so as to stop for a moment, and come and capture this experience in your minds and hearts and carry it with you inevitably for the rest of your lives?"
The five of us promised to meet next week, daring to guess what the coming days may have in store for us.
With much love to all of you in the North.
Your local reporter,
Estela Romero
Angangueo, Michocán, MéxicoP.S. After having experienced such a wonderful morning in Rio GrandeSanctuary, I drove to Sierra Chincua Sanctuary curious to see the number of monarchs remaining. There were none! As these photos show, the Sanctuary is officially closed now. How could there be none here while Rio Grande is so spectacular?
