Letter from Estela

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Very dear friends:

We continue to wonder if an early departure is gradually happening, right under our noses. On Sunday afternoon (02/24/2019) around 5 p.m. many, many monarchs were overflying the downtown as if gliding downhill from Sierra Chincua and El Rosario Sanctuaries.  Today while having breakfast, my mother and I could see many butterflies landing on trees, flowers, plants, everywhere, and gliding up in the sky. This has been happening since Sunday, so I wonder whether I could dare to say that very probably a gradual leaving is already taking place. But there’s so much uncertainty!

Let me tell you what I saw at the sanctuaries this week:

Sierra Chincua Sanctuary

Sierra Chincua has been changing rapidly. A guide from the Sanctuary passed by my house and told me that the monarchs left on the Monday (02/25/2019) between 3 and 5 pm! But where did they go?

Yesterday (Tuesday) another wonderful guide, Nico, took me in search of them. Along the way, we saw butterflies nectaring and flying around bushes and flowers, and all over the canopy, but there were no clusters to be seen anymore at all.

We reached perhaps one of the highest points in Sierra Chincua where a huge canyon totally covered with forest runs all the way down with an incredible view.  Many, many monarchs were overflying and gliding up and down over the impressive forest canyon.  It was impossible to see if the butterflies were forming clusters down there, very deep in the forest at the bottom of the canyon. Several guides there believe they might. They took time to try to go down, but finally came up and decided it would be better to come into from a totally different direction.

So I can’t tell you if many butterflies remain somewhere at Chincua - or not!

El Rosario Sanctuary

The main colony at El Rosario  is visibly diminished in concentration and in density.  There are still many big, heavy, and dense clusters, many, many medium to small ones, and many trees that look almost empty now.  A considerable percentage of the colony has spread and moved towards the northeastern woods from their main site, only a few hundred meters away.

Activity levels continue to be really high and mating is happening meter after meter! Minute after minute butterflies burst out explosively from small, medium, and big clusters.  Only a few clusters are near the very top of the Oyamel trees. Most are roosting from mid to rather high up in the Oyamels.  Visitors however, continue to be stunned at coming and see how the huge alien-like phenomenal body very slowly dismantles itself.

Roberto, age 18, attending high school said:

“The population continues to be astonishing, even though it diminishes and moves little by little.  We young guides learned a lot this season. The population surpassed all expectations. Monarchs determine all of our lives nowadays for all local families up here in the communities surrounding El Rosario Sanctuary.”

Now, a somewhat pending feeling of nostalgia descends upon us, knowing that the colonies have indeed started their decline.

Hundreds of foreigners and thousands of people from all of Mexico continue to come to experience this exceptional season. Adults and children in love with monarchs even wear clothes bearing their favorite butterfly, proud that this creature connects Mexico with their home so far away in the north.

Estela Romero

Angangueo, Michoacán, México