Sat 24 Jan 2009
Incredible Journey of the Monarch Butterfly – Tuesday, Jan 27
Posted by Nicole under Habitat, News & Events
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Here’s a television program you won’t want to miss. The synopsis at the end of this post is straight from Monarch Watch and I’ve checked the listings – its definitely going to be on in our area on Tuesday night.
Monarch Butterflies are an amazing insect – and I’m sure you’ve all seen them here in the summertime. As fall approaches, the Monarchs leave our area and migrate on a journey of thousands of miles to a very small forested area in the mountains of Mexico, just outside of Mexico City, where they overwinter. They cover the Oyamel pine trees by the millions and rest here from November through March.
As March and April come, they mate and the females begin their journey back north to us here in Virginia as well as points even further northward into Canada. This migration has been recognized as one of the great nature phenomena of our world yet is has also been designated as an endangered phenomenon due to the habitat loss especially in Mexico in this small forest area, but also through the US where we have been wiping out the milkweed that Monarch caterpillars eat as they develop.
This February….just a few weeks away!….I’m heading to Mexico with my dad and my husband to see the Monarchs in their winter sanctuaries, at almost 10,000 ft above sea level. (as a comparison, Leesburg is about 340 ft above sea level). We’re not going with a tour, so we’ll no doubt have some interesting stories to tell. When I get back I’ll prepare a program to share the sights, the sounds and everything else I can think of. I also hope to launch some environmental education activities and habitat restoration efforts here in Loudoun so we can play our part in helping keep this magic cycle of life in motion.
In the mean time, I hope you’ll get a chance to watch this great NOVA program. Details are below:
On TV: The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies
From time to time the monarch migration and associated conservation issues are covered in the national media, via articles in newspapers, magazines, and short clips on TV news programs. Overall, the coverage of the monarch story has been spotty bits and pieces, and Americans have not been exposed to an in-depth treatment of the amazing monarch migration, nor the people and cultures that encounter monarchs on their yearly north and south passage across the continent. This is about to change. NOVA’s “The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies” will be aired on PBS at 8PM (check local listings) Tuesday, 27 January 2009. [If you have TiVo and are planning to record it, search under NOVA for the title]
