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Biosphere Reserve "Monarch Butterfly" Traditions decembrinas

Hello again is a pleasure to greet this new year will surely bring you health, work and many trips!

And beginning with the themes of 2009 I would start talking to an ecotourism site, and more than a place I'm going to talk about a natural miracle happens in our country every year. The phenomenon Migration of the Monarch Butterfly.
Did you know that this butterfly has to travel about 4500 miles to reach our country and spend the winter in the forests of Michoacán and the State of Mexico?

Before we get into the places where monarch arrives would like to tell me how fascinating this little insect.
Insects make up ¾ of the animal kingdom, are in the earth about 400 million years and butterflies belonging to the family of insects have about 250 million living on earth.

Of the 25 000 species of butterflies in the world have studied about 70%. In Mexico there about 2500 species of butterflies and these have been revered, respected and studied from pre-Hispanic times and the proof is that in Nahuatl for "butterfly" is written and pronounced as "Papatl." This word is found in several words that are used even today, for example, "Papaloapan" which means "River of Butterflies" and "Papalotepec" referring to the "Hill of Butterflies." Even the word is very common Papalote, refers to this toy that mimics the flight of a butterfly. The inhabitants of ancient Mexico, the butterflies associated with love, beauty, and were a symbol of foreboding. That's why that can be found in paintings, sculptures, stelae, codices, archaeological and other evidence which we inherited from our ancestors.

A curious fact is that butterflies are conventional 24-day cycle and our Monarch butterfly can live up to 9 months or 12 times more than conventional!
The Monarch Butterfly has been there for generations because their methods of survival such as food, leading to guidance by magnetic phenomena and to bring information transmitted by the genes of generations to complete their migration.

Birth and food
Monarch Butterfly is originally from Canada, Mexico and the United States, which is why they say it is a North American butterfly.
A Monarch butterfly lays its eggs on a plant and after seven to twelve days are born caterpillars that feed on the plant. Each track will change about 5 times the skin to achieve a perfect development, and subsequently is attached to a thin branch and weave a cocoon in which metamorphosis will experience a process that lasts approximately twelve days.

Leaving the cocoon has become a beautiful butterfly, brown or orange with white dots and framed in black, has four inches when mature and become bright colors are a sign that they are a poisonous animal. Then eats the plants without concern.

Monarchs feed on plants called "Asclepias" also known as cow tongues "or" thrush. " These plants provide the vivid colors and insect pigments also contain a poisonous alkaloid for other species. So the butterfly to feed treats the poisons produced by the plant, acquiring an unpleasant smell and taste for all types of predators such as reptiles, birds and small mammals that by trying to eat one of them, then spit and keep it indefinitely respect. The

Asclepias thanks also benefited With millions of monarchs pollinate vast areas of the three countries. An example of this is that the state of Michoacan is an area that ranks first worldwide in a variety of flowering plants and fruit and this is thanks to the Butterflies. Flyway


In the summer, the monarch butterfly lives in the border of Canada and the United States, when the days are long and warm, this allows you to mature and reproduce. When summer ends and days get shorter, the air begins polar, lower temperatures and scarce food, the butterflies are forced to migrate to another place where the winter temperature and keep them quiet until hot spring arrives. So may reach sexual maturity, reproduce and return to the U.S. band to conclude the cycle of life.

The phenomenon of migration researchers long thought that the butterflies were looking for tropical places, but in 1975 it was discovered in Mexico the main wintering site for millions of Monarch Butterflies where temperatures are close to zero degrees, it is different shrines in sierra Oyamel forest trees in Michoacán and the State of Mexico, between the valleys and mountains, with abundant vegetation areas, with the existence of water bodies and a height of 3300 meters above sea level the sea.

Monarchs take flight in late September to reach their winter destination in mid-November. On that cover about 120 km route. per day, the average trip is 33 days. In their migration
open their wings to store the heat to a temperature of 16 °. Another curious fact is that they have schedules, the flight starts at 9:30 am. and end your day trip around 6:30 pm for the night in groups of up to 600 insects.
During the flight, and prefer to avoid large mountains, open valleys are north winds. They are carried by currents spreading its light wings to glide, flap only when the wind or lost if they decide to take another route. If the current is very strong fold their wings in a "V" and thereby control the direction and speed.

There are currently three migratory routes of the Monarch Butterfly:
1 .- Those who leave the Pacific and the Rocky Mountains and California come to San Diego.
2 .- from the Atlantic and Great Lakes Area, crossing the states of Carolina and Florida and finally to Cuba.
3 .- Those that descend from the Rockies and the Great Lakes and reaching Mexico through the Sierra Madre Oriental to arrive at the center of the country.

The truth is that the sanctuaries in Mexico are the places where the highest concentration Monarch butterflies and the advantage is that these sanctuaries have been decreed as protected areas; Imagine, there are colonies of Monarchs of about 30 million copies!

their migratory route in the sky clouds dressed in black, beige, is a wonderful spectacle, like a shower of autumn leaves at dusk, trees and plants lining. Hibernate

ideal sites for the winter are Oyamel forest trees, where the land is volcanic origin and arsenic-rich iron sulfide that gives an appropriate temperature, number of trees not must be less than 400 per hectare; so it is important to avoid logging Oyameles because the fewer runs the risk of causing mass deaths by freezing butterfly. In winter, monarch butterflies cluster during the night, cloudy and rainy, meet in the middle belt of trees, where the winds are not strong and the temperatures are extreme. Thousands or millions of butterflies come together and form clusters like grapes, this allows them to conserve heat. Despite his cool, the Monarch in its dormant phase adjusts the temperature of your body retains a lot of energy and fat stores for their return and procreation.

Due to strong winds and huge number of copies sometimes clusters of butterflies falling off and are exposed to cold and predators.

Homecoming

end of February, the temperature enhancement of forests and the days are longer, that's when the Monarch Butterfly mating initiate and seek flower nectar for energy to accumulate take her back. When ready take flight leaving in large groups to the end of March are only a witness, the bodies of the weak to withstand the winter.

Upon returning to the prairies, they leave their eggs under the leaves of milkweed plants will witness the presence of new larvae begin their period of metamorphosis.
These new monarchs continue the journey to America and another generation will play in July for their offspring born in September and start a new migration to Mexico. This fabulous life cycle is repeated year after year. It is important to note that the 3 rd or 4 th generation will migrate south to supporting a slumber of several months, thereby achieving the conservation of a wonderful species.

Biosphere Reserve "Monarch Butterfly"
To achieve this natural phenomenon, Mexico through the National Commission of Protected Nature Reserve issued a 16.110 hectares to protect the Monarch Butterfly on October 9, 1986. In 2000 the area was extended to 56,259 hectares and is delineated core and buffer zones.
sanctuaries where he cares for and protects the butterflies are located in the municipalities of Temascalcingo State of Mexico, San Felipe del Progreso, Donato Guerra and Villa de Allende, and Contepec Michoacan, Senguio, Angangueo, Ocampo, Zitacuaro and Aporo

One of the shrines that you can not miss on your visit, is that of Angangueo in Michoacan, known for its wooded scenery, fresh and green. Located at a height of 2350 meters. It has a temperate climate, on the way to the shrine you will see some streams that support running water to the thirsty butterflies. Angangueo
has tourist services and visiting hours are from 9:00 to 17:00 hrs.
addition, each year is the Monarch Butterfly Festival the last days of February and early March. This festival is promoting the understanding and conservation of insect habitat, promotes ecotourism, culture, arts and traditions of the community of Michoacan.

Finally, keep in mind these recommendations for your trip to meet with the monarch butterfly:

- not to collect flora
or hunt wildlife - not littering or polluting the water or soil
- do not take flash photos
- no drinking
- no sound devices carry
- no smoking or lighting bonfires
- do not leave the paths
- not to step on or touch the butterflies
-

silent

If you like activities such as observing nature, hiking, or just take pictures, this is an excellent eco-tourism.
Until next time!