It’s Day of the Dead and the eastern monarch butterflies likely are flying into Mexico’s Monarch Biosphere Reserve overwintering sites right now. People expect their arrival—after all, countless generations of their ancestors have seen monarchs arrive for Día de Muerto on November 1 and 2, why wouldn’t they show up in 2021? They are preparing ofrendas to their ancestors and others, offerings to the spirits of the dead, including two men killed for protecting the monarchs’ habitat in Mexico.
In the past week, monarchs have been spotted from Monterrey Mexico to Guadalajara, along the southeast and Gulf coasts of the U.S., in Texas, and in Arizona. Those still along the east coast of the U.S. may be planning to stay in Florida. Check out the migration map at Journey North.
This year, one university has prepared an ofrenda, shown in the tweet below, with photographs and elaborate mandala-like designs created with flowers, surrounded by paper butterflies to honor four Mexican environmentalists who died defending the flora and fauna. The people being honored are two men associated with the El Rosario Reserve within the Monarch Biosphere—manager Homero Gómez González and tour guide Raúl Hernández Romero—plus a woman biologist in charge of a scarlet macaw breeding project in Chiapas, and a man who worked to protect the Usumacinta River and associated species such as the black howler monkey from illegal mining. The ofrenda also includes symbols, including details from Mexican, Mayan, Mixtec and Teotihuacan codices, to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the fall of Mexico-Tenochtitlan, a decisive Spanish victory over the indigenous people (Aztec Empire) in 1521.
The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
|
Later this week, i’ll have a report on this year’s california overwintering monarchs.
right now, the Bucket is open for your nature news —> i’m hoping we had more rain sunday night.