Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve
The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, is located between the states of Estado de México and Michoacán, in Mexico, in the mountainous region of Eje Neovolcánico Transversal of México. Indeed, a species of the Monarch butterfly was found for the first time in Cerro Pelón, Ejido El CapulÃn, Estado de México.Â
The migration of the Monarch Butterfly has been studied since 1940, by two zoologists, Fred and Nora Urquhart. It was not until 1975, that it was discovered the place of hibernation of the butterflies in Mexico. In this way, until the year 1980, the forest of the butterfly began to be an area of natural protection. In the same year, there was created the Monarch Butterfly Conservation Fund. Finally, in 2008 the reserve was added to the list of the World Heritage Site of Humanity (UNESCO). Indeed, a species of the Monarch butterfly was found for the first time in Cerro Pelón, Ejido El CapulÃn, Estado de México. The climate of the region is climate Cw, which means that it is a climate sub-humid with rains in summer, and the annual average temperatures are equal to 8 ° to 22 ° C.
Flora and ecosystems
The Reserve has in total 493 species of vascular plants, and the great biodiversity of the region is abundant in conifers and herbaceous species. Also, in the area, the honey plants, which produce nectar, are very predominant. Some of the species found are the Mexican marigold (cempasúchil), sweet-scented marigold, and the common lantana.Â
Also, the ecosystems found in the area are: oyamel, oyamel-pino, pino, cedro, pino-encino, mesófilo de Montaña, and conifers. These are the template trees, with a sub-humid climate that attracts the Monarch Butterflies for their hibernation period of time.
The Monarch Butterfly
The migration
The monarch butterflies travel 4,000 km from the south-western of Canada and the southern and northern parts of the United States, to get to their destiny in the Mexican sanctuaries of the states of Michoacán and Estado de México. The monarch butterfly only has this migration in this part of the world, and it begins its migration in September and October, in a southwesterly direction. Finally, after 2 months of travel, the butterflies arrive in the Mexican forests in November. There, they establish hibernating colonies during the winter, for an average of 5 months, so that they lately return to the United States in the spring.
Characteristics
The Generation Matusalén, are the group of butterflies that actually migrate. They are born in the middle and the final stages of August, as well as the beginning of autumn. During this time, the temperature starts to decrease in Canada and the U.S., while the angle of the light from the sun drastically declines as well. For this reason, this generation is obligated to change their lifestyle routine, and emigrate to Mexico.
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In contrast with the generation of butterflies born previously, that live for at least a month or even less, these butterflies love for at least 8 to 9 months. As a consequence of this, their period of reproduction is also delayed. The diet that these species have changed throughout their lives. As adults, their diet is based on the nectar of milkweeds and honey plants. When they’re young, and they are caterpillars, they eat milkweed plants. These plants produce toxic substances, like cardiac glycosides, and when they are consumed by the butterflies, this substance is accumulated in the skins of the insect, which makes them toxic for the environment and for some predators. Nevertheless, Scott’s oriole and the hooded oriole are the only birds that hunt the monarchs, even though they have a toxic substance in their bodies.
Other animals
In the reserve you can find, different kind of species, like:
Mammals (56 species in total): shrew, opossum, different species of bats, wild rabbit, armadillo, coyote, Whitetail deer, and bobcat.
Reptiles and amphibians (198 species): ajolote, salamanders, frogs, and several species of reptiles.
Birds (132 species): hummingbird, zopilote aura, tapacamino, carpintero.
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These are two of the biggest animals of the region:
Coyote
The coyote of brown, gray, and yellow colors is one of the emblematic animals of Mexico. They spend most of their time in the night, as they hunt during this period. They are incredibly agile and fast, since they can run almost 65 km/h, and they are able to jump up to 4 meters. Other of their physical characteristics are the pointed snout, pointed ears, and drooping tail that they have. They do not live in packs as other wolves do, but occasionally they can hunt in pairs or small groups. Still, this depends on the size of the animal that they are hunting.
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The coyote is a carnivorous animal that hunts rabbits, squirrels, and mouses. They can also consume birds, insects, and even small vipers. They often dig their own burrows, that have the purpose of refuge for them and their food. These are monogamous species, and they reproduce between the months of January and March. The pair can have from 1 to 19 pups, but the average number is 9. When the young are born, they are fed by both of the parents, until they reach the adult size in the 9th and 12th month.
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer is another animal that also lives in the biosphere. They have a white color in the down part of their tails, which gives the name of the species. The coloration of the dorsal of the deer changes, making it redder during the summer and grayer in the winter. This happens because of the change in the seasons, but the tone can vary since it depends on the location. Besides, they can reach 1650 to 200 cm, with an additional 10 to 28 cm of their tails.
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These deers are very shy and tend to be nervous animals. When feeling in danger, they move their tails from side to side. The biggest strength is their sense of smell that quickly detects a possible threat, as well as their good eyesight and acute hearing. Their reproduction occurs in October and December, when the males (Bucks) use their horns to fight with each other, with the purpose of mating the female (Doe). These horns or antlers are shed from January to March, after the mating. and begin to grow again in April and May. The pregnancy lasts 6 or 6.5 months. The females are known to be very protective towards the babies since they hide them in the middle of the dense vegetation, while they are gone for hours. Lastly, as they are herbivorous, they mostly eat different kinds of shrubs.