My wife and I were fascinated by the Monarch butterflies and their annual migration of thousands of kilometres from Mexico to USA ever since we read about it .
Those butterflies that migrate undergo a unique metabolism change where they live 8 to 9 months compared to those that don’t migrate at 2 to 6 weeks.
We had the opportunity to see them at their winter habitat in El Rosario , the biggest and most popular sanctuary in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve when we visited Mexico .
Fortune smiled at us for this fascinating trip . Our Airbnb hosts in Mexico City , Paul, Tila and their son Luka decided to join us for the trip to El Rosario.
Before we left for Mexico City , I had asked Paul if he could recommend a good tour agency to see the butterflies. Out of the blue, he asked if they could come along with us. They last saw it when they were teenagers, and Luka had never seen them.
After a few wonderful days in Mexico City, we set off one early February morning for the four-hour drive to El Rosario.
The sanctuary is at about 3,000m above sea level. The interesting drive went through huge sprawling Mexico City, through farmlands, forested mountains , small towns and for the last hour through narrow windy mountain roads dotted with small farms growing fruits and vegetables.
The small towns and mountain roads share a similar feature to Malaysian roads, the speed bump. Most are narrow strips constructed by homeowners and there are loads of it, slowing down the journey.
Another unique thing up in the mountains is that some cars are fitted with a loudspeaker . They are announcing Mexico’s favourite staple tortillas for sale.
It was misty and cold when we arrived at the sanctuary. There was another hour before we could enter, and we had breakfast.
That was the best meal since we arrived in Mexico. With Paul’s recommendation, we had tortillas made from purple maize with squashed flowers and mushrooms and Atula, a thick warm maize beverage with wild berries and strawberries. This was definitely an added bonus coming with them.
Entrance fee is 100 pesos per person and a guide can be engaged if preferred . We engaged a Spanish speaking guide and Paul and Tila did the translation, it worked out quite well.
The hike up to where the butterflies are is another 1.9km with a gentle ascent. The guide told us the butterflies start flying at 11 am .
At 11, the sun is at the right height to shine its rays on the butterflies and warms them up.
As we were early , we moseyed slowly up the trail. The guide told us about the history and gradual development of the sanctuary and how they protected it .
He also pointed out the leaves of a plant that gave off a delightful minty lemon smell when rubbed together and that we should do if we find the going hard. It was a most pleasant way to hike up as we whiffed at the leaves every so often even when we were not huffing and puffing.
Up along the way, we didn’t see any butterflies except for some dead ones which the guide picked up for us to see up close. He also pointed out the abundant milkweed plant, Monarch’s larvae main food source.
10 minutes to 11, we arrived where the trail was roped off to prevent further entry. There were already people milling around waiting for the flight of the butterflies.
The guide pointed to the trees where the butterflies had clustered together for the night. From afar, they looked like masses of brown leaves on the bark and branches.
Then when the sun shines on them, you begin to see little flutters on the barks and leaves. The flutters gradually became bigger, and what I thought was mass of leaves began peeling off one by one.
The Monarch butterflies in its full glory began their flight. Tens became hundreds, hundreds turned into thousands and tens of thousands and in a short time , the sky was thick with them.
We have never seen a phenomenon of so many butterflies in one place. They were flying around us , some rested on us, others fluttering around seeking flowers or feeding on nectar, and some feeding on puddles of water or the ground for minerals .
The sun rose higher, more butterflies woke up from their slumber and added to the beautiful sight. Taking photos or videos is near impossible even when they are so numerous in a small area. The best way to enjoy them is to sit down and watch them fly by you and absorb this wonderful spectacle .
After an hour, we made our way down and where there were no butterflies when we came up, they were now in their tens of thousands.
Horses are available for hire for ascent and descent and Luka tired out , went down with Paul on horseback.
I asked the guide when the butterflies will migrate . He confidently replied, 25th March. I had no doubt this is correct with his 29 years of guiding experience. What a lucky guy to be in tune with nature and to witness this natural wonder every year.
Koo Wee Hon (kooweehon@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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