The Monarchs of Michoacán: A tour not to be missed!
Posted September 14, 2009 by Sarada Krishnan, Director of Horticulture
Of all nature’s wonders, one of the most fascinating phenomenons is the annual migration ritual performed by Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) in North America. What is amazing is how these tiny creatures, four or five generations removed, return year after year to the same overwintering grounds in Mexico. Millions of monarch butterflies during fall make the trip from the eastern United States and Canada each year to Mexico’s southwestern flank of the Transverse Neovolcanic Mountains congregating in the oyamel fir (Abies religiosa) forest, ten thousand feet in elevation. No other butterfly performs such an arduous migration feat as the monarch with some individuals traveling up to 2,000 miles.
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