The Michoacan Forest, Mexico's butterfly sanctuary

Located in Mexico, precisely between the states of Michoacan and Estado de Mexico lives one of nature's most spectacular migratory phenomena. Every year, between late October and early November, millions of monarch butterflies leave the cold north of the United States and Canada to reach the milder climate mountains of the Michoacàn Forest, facing a journey of over 2500 miles, the longest ever observed among insects. This extraordinary flight ends in the “Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve”, an area of ??56 million hectares covered with pines, oaks and conifers, created in 1980 to protect the winter habitat of this extraordinary creature.



The Monarch Butterfly Biosphere, nicknamed "Forest of the Butterflies", has been part of the Unesco World Heritage Sites since 2008 and is considered one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions. It is an example of a true natural sanctuary with a unique ecosystem and although threatened by a series of human activities, such as deforestation, it continues to offer a scenery of unparalleled beauty. These magnificent specimens color the entire forest orange, completely covering the ground, the trunks and the foliage of the trees with their splendid hues.



Every year, these monarch butterflies attract a large number of tourists to the area. Visitors are only allowed to observe them in certain parts of the reserve. Furthermore, there is a requirement to respect silence and a series of rules to guarantee them the necessary tranquility to thrive and return in great numbers the following year. This species of butterfly can live as long as 9 months, unlike other butterflies that have a life cycle of only 24 days, allowing them to resume their journey home at the end of March. It is a long-lived species, a very elegant and tireless traveler who, precisely because of its uniqueness, continues to give us yet another natural wonder of the earth.

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