Non-stop Massive Leaving!

March 20, 2017

Dear Friends,

For three days now, since the March 16th, the massive leaving has been indeed occurring!  Many monarchs passed by in town and people have indeed started to realize that the end of the season has inevitably come.

On Sunday, March 19th the weather increased remarkably.  The sun was very intense. The thermomether 10-12 Centigrades at the forest’s shade in the core of the Colony, and, consequently, Sunday was the day when an astonishing massive leaving of monarchs took place. 

Streaming Down Through Rio Grande Forest
As I drove up the mountain, around noon time, the hurried flying of hundreds and hundreds of monarchs streaming down from El Rosario and flying north, was not to believe! Many tourists driving, going up towards El Rosario Sanctuary, stopped in the way to appreciate the wonderful performance!

As I passed by La Salud Community — a little more than halfway down to El Rosario Sanctuary — it was evident that the main and massive stream of Monarchs coming down from El Rosario, were flying downhill into El Rosario northwest forest area through the Rio Grande forest in La Salud community and territory (Ejido Angangueo, not anymore Ejido El Rosario), so I decided to make a halt right there and went into Rio Grande forest.

Mario, a well known school boy, 10 years old, born in the community, recognized white VW “Rocinante” and suddenly popped-up at the driving side window of the car as I parked, and asked me whether I would like to go into Rio Grande forest. 

“I can guide you in there, Estelita. For a few days now, Monarchs are all streaming down here through Rio Grande as they leave El Rosario Sanctuary. Very few should remain there at El Rosario, they are clearly flying northwards as if in a hurry to leave!" Mario told me enthusiastically.

In we went.  That it was.  A gross population of Monarchs were flying through the Rio Grande forest and main river street and truck road, being indeed today, one of the last, if not the last non-stoppable massive leaving hours of the remaining portion of the colony of monarchs at el Rosario Sanctuary following the previous masses of the last three days, having indeed already made their way north!

A wonderful scenery with thousands of Monarchs flying downstream, hundreds scattered at the Oyamel trees, others flying, some others thirsty and crowding at the small streams or ponds drinking water… no clusters, no time for it! But just an extraordinary population of hurried, busy Monarchs all over… and… a hurried and intense mating to be observed everywhere, as I had not been able to see in every visit made to the different sanctuaries, as if they knew their last moments for mating were about to expire before joining the massive stream making their Journey North!

Continuing the drive on to El Rosario Sanctuary was now necessary, in order to observe the remaining population of the Colony there.
Mario and me shook hands, while he told me:

“Estelita, It is now time for us locals at the Community of  “La Salud” to legally take visitors into our  Rio Grande forest, to watch and enjoy this beautiful thing in there, and our parents can, for at least two or three days, while the last Monarchs pass by, to make a little extra income having visitors come into our forest area”.

At the Colony in El Rosario Sanctuary
As I reached El Rosario Sanctuary, the crowded parking area showed a really busy and perhaps last weekend with visitors coming to still see a last part of the Colony remaining.

As I went up the stairway into the Colony, I realized how actually scarce the flow of Monarchs flying around along the way was.  Nothing compared to what we could see there a couple and three weeks ago.

There was no need to have a guide to take me to the colony; the stream of people would show anyone the way to go. The remaining population of the Colony is right behind the row of Oyameles at “Llano de los Conejos”, lower area of “Los Orcones” forest.

Different to past seasons, Monarchs were not dressing the surrounding Oyamel-walls of the “Llano de los Conejos” in orange-golden-light brown, neither did I ever see, during the days I visited this Sanctuary, the carpet of Monarchs along the sides of the passing path here into the forest.

Once at the core of the colony, at only some steps after turning a sharp right behind the “Llano de los Conejos”, I would confirm that the very last portion of Monarch butterflies were there, most likely waiting for the last hours of the day to spend their night there, and, very probably, leaving tomorrow, hardly standing it for the day after tomorrow, if the weather continues to be this warm.

Monarchs here were mostly active, but many others were quiet, and even forming a few kind of, medium to big “clusters”, which, more than clusters, I would better describe as rather dark and only average dense spots at the trees.  No Monarchs wrapping up the trunks of Oyamel trees at all here. Visitors, today, in spite of not being as lucky as visitors over the former weekends, were still marveled to see the remaining part of Monarchs at the Colony.
On my way back, a well known guide at Llano de los Conejos told me Ejidatarios at El Rosario had now officially decided, altogether with the corresponding authorities, to close the Sanctuary up to March 31st.

Short before, another guide, at seeing me passing by, showed me a couple of Monarchs flies with their tag on each.
I stopped for a moment placing the thermomether at the ground direct to the sun, which reached up to 28 Centigrades within a 10 minute-time lapse.

Could it be that the intermittent refreshing waves might have been one of the main factors  holding Monarchs longer at the Sanctuaries this season?

Mating was actually nowhere to see at this time of the day (nearly 4 p.m by this time), but a unique couple at sight at the stairway on the way back.

The sky and the way down, by this time of the day, was practically deserted. No active Monarchs to be seen anywhere around.  Indeed all were making their way through the forest downhill into Rio Grande, as I had seen before reaching el Rosario Sanctuary.
The season closes now.  Us locals at our region and authorities of all levels shall be indeed proud and thankful to Nature’s miracles, since, having Monarchs suffered a devastating perishing at the wind and hail storm in March 2016, this season was simply miraculous in population.

Today, Monday, March 20th, it seems that the very last few Monarchs are occasionally passing over Angangueo’s sky. Indeed the last hours of massive migration are taking place between today and tomorrow, March 21st.

In former years, the presence of wasps while Monarchs were leaving was seen as normal; now, an unusual over-population of them all over has surprised us in town!  At the same time, soft to semi-intense wind-waves blowing South-East and South-North were frequent, especially on Saturday, when temperatures indeed started to increase considerably.

Last of all, an outstanding fact to mention at the closing of the season according to my visits, experiencing and observations during the Season at both Sanctuaries, is that “Sierra Chincua” Sanctuary recovered into an incredibily dense population this season, as I personally had not seen in many years, hoping I am not over-estimating my observations, since It should be on the experts’ official estimates to mention about the comparing measurements in population from El Rosario Sanctuary to Sierra Chincua Sanctuary, the two biggest in population in the list of officially listed Monarch Sanctuaries.

Northern locals, groups and organizations in the North shall feel, indeed, as proud and thankful as we do here, since every enhancing action striving to relieve the so badly diminished population brought unexpected positive results this year!

Shall we all, you in the North, and we in Central México at the overwintering sites for Monarchs,  await for an even much more spectacular season next year!

Estela Romero
Journey North
Angangueo, Michoacán, México
March 20, 2017

P.S. On the other side, as part of the unfortunate events to afford over the coming hot and dry spring and summer,  for our local society and authorities in the region,  sporadic and rather very small forest fires occour once in a while, which fortunately are attended in prompt emergency by the local society and authorities themselves organizing and supporting each other in such emergencies, since we know our forests are vital for our own security!