What has been discovered over decades is the importance of an evergreen tree, the oyamel fir tree.
21 December 2015
By Janet Marinelli
For as long as anyone can remember, (click here) monarch butterflies have arrived in Mexico's Trans-Volcanic Belt in late October, when the locals begin to celebrate Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Families fill their homes with marigolds, eat skull-shaped sweets and place candles on graves to guide the souls of departed loved ones home. According to
traditional belief, the brilliant orange butterflies are the spirits of ancestors returning to earth to visit....
The oyamel fir forests of Mexico (click here) are remnants of boreal forests that
advanced south with periods of glaciation. When the glaciers retreated,
they were left as high elevation survivors, existing as isolated islands
at 2400-3600 meters (7,800 – 11,700 feet). Several hundred million
Monarch Butterflies spend the winter clinging to Oyamel Fir trees on a
cluster of these mountaintops of the Transverse Neo-Volcanic Mountain
range of Central Mexico. Waxy pine and oyamel needles shelter the
monarchs, protecting them from moisture. When the butterflies become wet
and temperatures drop to below freezing, millions of butterflies
perish....Butterfly watching is as widely popular as bird watching. There is an economic component to these events in nature. The great thing about butterflies is they don't bite or peck.
Species name: Danaus plexippusThe other great part about being either a bird or butterfly watcher is an information book never gets old. Species are species and don't require updates.
"Handbook for Butterfly Watchers" (click here)
June 26, 1992
By Robert Michael Pyle
Some people fish and some people hunt, but, there is no difference between sports involving nature; it's interesting, peaceful and fun. Bird and Butterfly watchers are different than fishers and hunters in that their accomplishment is a LIST of observed species.
To many, making a list is something one does when doing grocery shopping or striving to be a successful Santa; but, lists are very prestigious filled with respect and status. It is the same status as any other trophy.Robert Michael Pyle on Facebook (click here)
Butterflies and moths are pollinators, too.
Thousands of people (click here) travel abroad each year looking for butterflies and moths. Eco-tours bring valuable income to many European countries and developing countries around the world (e.g. the valley of the butterflies in Rhodes and the Monarch roost in Mexico).
Every butterfly and moth has developed its own suite of chemicals to deter predators and parasites, find a mate, and overcome the chemical defences of its host plant. Each of these chemicals has a potential value and could be exploited economically. For example, powerful antibiotics have been found in the Meadow Brown, one of our commonest and most widespread species.
We celebrate the Monarch Butterfly today, but, it's popular status protects so many more species. Wikipedia (click here) put together a rather interesting migration map.
