Second Visit to the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico
During both of my trips to the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR), I was fortunate to meet people from many of the communities that reside within the lens of the reserves. Through these connections, I was invited onto a team, with the great help of an NGO named Alternare, to participate in field work within the two main sanctuaries, Sierra Chincua, and El Rosario.
Sierra Chincua Monarch colony (picture Leo Ludna).
At both of the reserves, ongoing exploration was taking place in a restricted area, so the use of extreme caution was necessary as I assisted in Monarch-hosting tree censuses, identified causes of death in the butterflies that were found, and searched for Monarchs that had been tagged in Canada before their trip began.
My good friend, the American photojournalist Martha Cooper, best known for documenting street art for almost 40 years, was part of the expedition alongside Osmar Ramirez Vasquez, here reporting the last forecast from the restricted area weather station.
Sierra Chincua, Feb 03,2023. 6:30AM.