Thanks to 10th grade students at Blake School in Minneapolis, Minnesota for their translation of the report below. It was originally posted on March 7th and was sent from the scientists studying the monarchs in their wintering sanctuarries near Angangueo, Michoacan, Mexico.
"Dear Journey North:
"My name is Eneida Montesinos. Eduardo Rendon and I are students of Alfonso Alonso and we are both studying biology. We are studying the monarch butterflies in the Sierra Chincua. Mike asked us to make a report regarding the latest activity of the butterflies. In this latest report we also had the help of Fernando Romero, the son of Mr. Erasto Romero. (Mr. Romero is a resident of Angangueo. This message was sent from his small grocery store there.)
"Well, this year was quite varied, there were very hot days and some rainy days. As you know Alfonso sent a report about the first two months of the hibernation season. The season is now coming to a close and in a moment you will understand why I say "coming to a close" even though it is only early March. The last fifteen days of February were very hot and the colonies had begun to move into ravines and more humid areas within the reserve.
"As of February 25th the rains returned and the colonies stabilized once again. But on the 27th it was very hot and the people of El Rosario said that on this day butterflies began to come down from the hills. On the 28th rivers of butterflies literally crossed over the town of Angangueo. It was a mass movement. Currently, the remaining colonies are quite small, few trees can be found with butterflies on them and those butterflies remaining can be found in small clusters. We believe that our friendly butterflies are soon to be on their way north and it is likely that in as little as two weeks there will be very few butterflies left here.
"Fernando Romero, nine years old, has written a brief explanation of the life cycle of the monarch butterfly:"
"The adult monarchs deposit their eggs on plants known as 'asclepias'. The eggs are the size of the head of a pin! From these the larva emerge and feed on the plant on which the eggs were laid. Afterwards they envelop themselves in their cocoon and transform themselves into beautiful butterflies. This entire process takes between 4 to 6 weeks."
Copyright 1995, Journey North. All Rights Reserved.
Journey North 125 North First Street Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401 Phone: (612)339-6959