We invite you to witness one of the most wonderful natural spectacles in the world. Every year monarch butterflies travel thousands of kilometers in winter to take refuge in the oyamel forests of the State of Mexico and Michoacán.
The monarch butterflies leave from southern Canada and the northern United States, specifically from the Rocky Mountains and then follow the eastern Sierra Madre until they reach their winter home, the Mexican central highlands. According to the local cosmology, these butterflies represent the soul of the dead who return home. Since, the arrival of these insects coincides with November 2, day of the dead.
One of the main reasons for this annual journey is that monarch butterflies are extremely vulnerable to climate change because the temperature is what gives them the pattern for their reproduction. A drastic change breaks their life cycles. On the way, to the oyamel forests, three generations of monarchs are born and die and it is the fourth generation that once born in Mexico begins its return to the United States and Canada once the winter is over.
The main threats to the monarch butterfly is pesticides and the decline of milkweed that is the food of butterflies in the United States, and clandestine deforestation in Mexico. There are several agencies that are looking to solve this situation.
Now that the monarch butterfly is in Mexico, we invite you to live the experience. We recommend that you explore this natural attraction. One of the advantages is that the sanctuary is located in Valle de Bravo, very close to Mexico City.
