There is a strange but beautiful phenomenon that happens between North and Central America each year – hundreds of millions of monarch butterflies migrate up and down the continent.
It is not known why these insects make the lengthy migration from Canada to Mexico and back to Canada again over the course of a year, but this natural phenomenon is nothing short of spectacular.
In Mexico, the butterflies base themselves in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve - a World Heritage Site made of 56,259 hectares of rugged forest around 100 kilometres north of Mexico City.
UNESCO states: “Every autumn, millions, perhaps a billion, butterflies from wide areas of North America return to the site and cluster on small areas of the forest reserve, colouring its trees orange and literally bending their branches under their collective weight."
What we do know about this wonder of nature is that the migratory path takes a few generations to complete as a monarch butterfly’s lifespan lasts only between two and six weeks.
When the weather in Mexico starts to warm up the butterflies return north, stopping in states like Texas and Louisiana to mate and lay eggs, before those caterpillars turn into butterflies and continue the cycle for the 4,000 kilometre journey.
As UNESCO says, “In the spring, these butterflies begin an eight month migration that takes them all the way to Eastern Canada and back, during which time four successive generations are born and die. How they find their way back to their overwintering site remains a mystery.”
How can you visit the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve?
The butterflies usually arrive in Mexico in November and stay until March, so a wintertime trip to Mexico is your best bet.
The reserve is a two-hour drive from Mexico City, meaning it is possible to do a day trip out to it if you are visiting the capital.
There are four places the public can witness the migration within the reserve, which you can hike to or get to via horseback with a guide.
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These places are Sierra Chincua, El Rosario and Cerro Pelon in the Mexican state of Michoacán and Piedra Herrada in the state of Valle del Bravo. El Rosario is the most popular of these destinations.
From these viewpoints, you can watch on as the forest in front of your eyes is brought to life by a multitude of butterflies. Magic.
