SchoolsEstela RomeroMarch 22, 2021

MONARCHS: PRECIOUS MYSTERIES AWAIT FOR RESPONSE

SchoolsEstela RomeroMarch 22, 2021

THE VISIT

This conservation lesson today has been attended by a very interesting group of middle school teenagers coming from the different surrounding locations here in “Sierra Chincua”. The time for this important group of youngsters was very limited, since they are attending their school lessons at their what’s app through their smart phones catching signal at a certain point in a forest clearing not really far away from their home, getting this way some lessons and homework from their teachers every other day a week.

Having gone over the names of our forest trees, on their benefits and specially on the Oyamel tree from which characteristics and relation to Monarch butterflies they are now experts, since, besides living very close from this Sanctuary, they have been attending our conservation lessons and receiving their Symbolic Monarchs since they were at elementary schoo, they all expressed nearly at a time, as if they had been awaiting for the day of our visit to make this only question:

“The question for us ejidatario families living here at the surroundings of “Sierra Chincua” Sanctuary, is why our colony of Monarchs is generally smaller in population and why it leaves much earlier than that in “El Rosario”.

We are only slightly higher than “El Rosario”--, we have exactly the same weather conditions, the same types of vegetation, the same Oyamel fir trees… How does it come that a minor part of the Mathusalen generation massively arriving in November decide to stay in our “Sierra Chincua” Oyamel forests, a second larger colony decide to settle in “Cerro Pelòn” Sanctuary –lower in altitude and with quite different vegetation than ours-, and the rest, -a mayor part of the colony decide to settle in “El Rosario” Oyamel forest?; how do butterflies decide that?” -some others added-.

Is it that a kind of micro-differences in habitat among the three Sanctuaries determine such situations?. Which could these differences be?. Will we ever know the reasons? –one last very reflexive girl put this questions on the table.

Many questions are still not fully responded with thorough certainty by science about Monarchs, and while the miracle continues to impress us, we shall all strive for Conservation in all aspects, by all means, we all agreed at the end of the lesson.