There are many ways to name things, especially in the English language. One way to name something and stick to the name is to just call it what it is, and that’s exactly what happened with the Mountain of Butterflies.
The Mountain of Butterflies, as the name suggests, is the wintering destination for millions of migratory monarchs. Monarchs, also known as monarch butterflies, are milkweed butterflies belonging to the subfamily Danainae and the family Nymphalidae. They are the best-known North American butterflies, with wings that feature the easily recognizable colors of black, orange, and white. Their wingspan is 8.9-10.2 cm.
The Mountain of Butterflies was discovered some time ago on January 9, 1975. When zoologist Fred Urquhart saw it for the first time, he is said to have exclaimed, “Incredible! What a glorious, incredible sight! However, Urquhart was not the one who solved the mystery of monarch butterfly migration. Below are the most important facts you need to know about the discovery and the entire wonder surrounding the Mountain of the Butterflies.
Mountain of Butterflies – Important facts you need to know
discovery
The breakthrough in solving the mystery of the wintering habitat of millions of monarch butterflies came from citizen researchers Ken and Catalina Brugger. The search with Canadian zoologist Dr. Urquat, delighted with the discovery, took two years. as dr Urquat announced it in the August 1976 issue of National Geographic, he was amazed at the sight of the butterflies that could be seen on every branch and trunk of eimel trees.
It was a great payoff for Dr. Urquat, along with his wife, founded the Insect Migration Association, now known as Monarch Watch, to get thousands of volunteers across North America to tag butterflies by the hundreds of thousands to track their migration. The answer, in 1975, was millions of butterflies on Cerro Pelon, which lies on the border between the states of Mexico and Michoacan.
location
We’ve already given a clue as to the location of Butterfly Mountain, but it’s also helpful to note that the wintering destination for monarch butterflies is now protected as a Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. The property is 60 miles northwest of Mexico City. It sits at an elevation of 1,000 feet (300 meters) above sea level and continues to be home to the largest monarch butterfly population in North America between October and March.
local culture
Even before its discovery in 1975, the mountain of butterflies had long been a part of local culture. The day that the monarch butterflies arrived each year coincided with a Day of the Dead, beginning on Halloween, October 31st, and ending on November 2nd. He was featured in local legends around and after the rise of his fame Discovery, Mexico’s President Jose Lopez Portillo designated it as a national part (five years later). In 2008, after going through numerous classification changes, UNESCO finally named it a World Heritage Site.
garbage threat
The mountain of butterflies faces numerous threats despite the best efforts of local and international authorities to protect them. However, by far one of the most dangerous threats is the trash that tourists often leave behind in the park. This may be one of the reasons why while eight colonies exist in the reserve, only two are open to the public. Logging, deforestation and agitation by local farmers to use the land for unlicensed purposes are another threat.
When the butterflies fly
As fascinating as the gathering of monarch butterflies is their departure. The millions of butterflies that fry south of states like Califonia take up residence in ejamel and pine trees. Their collective weight puts pressure on the branches, causing them to sag and turning the brown wood orange. When the weather warms up in spring, the butterflies fly away together, so locals liken the sound of all their flapping wings to that of a light rain.
population decline
In 2015, the USA Fish and Wildlife Service released a report that found 970 million monarchs had disappeared since 1990. The 90 percent decline in the population was due in part to the surge in herbicide-destroying milkweed, which harbor both the monarch butterfly eggs and the plants that provide the caterpillar with food. They took the opportunity of publishing the report to announce an initiative to “Save the Monarch”.