As I wrote in the Mexico City sightseeing letter, we went with our visiting friends to see the butterflies as well. This time we went to Angangueo only.
With my husband we visited the butterflies once already (see the letter from January), but the scenery this time was completely different! In January, the weather was cloudy, so we saw the butterflies mainly hanging on the tree branches. It was astonishing to see how these tiny, light creatures in such a mass almost break the branches. As the sun broke through the clouds for some minutes, we could see the butterflies taking off the branches and flying around to warm up. However when they flew, they were uncoordinated, landed on the soil (or on our heads) many times. Also, they looked very fragile and weak, as they climbed on our fingers and hands (I guess they felt it warmer, that`s why they climbed on so voluntarily).
This time, by the end of February (actually, it was the 1st March), the air was already warmer and it was sparklingly shiny weather. So, we found the butterflies in a totally different mood. First of all, they moved to a more distinct place (no wonder, I guess those millions of insects use up the food around in a few weeks). It took us about 40 minutes on horseback this time (in January, they were closer, about 15 minutes), and when we got there, we saw millions of brown leaves swirling in the air... those were only not leaves but the butterflies flying around in the sunshine. As I said, it was a totally different scene. This time most of the butterflies were in the air, filling it all around, swirling and dancing.
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| Like autumn leaves in the air... |
Of course, there were still branches full with butterflies, but not as much as in that cloudy day in January. And sometimes - whether they lost balance or just moved as sardines in the sea - in a blink, all the butterflies (thousands and thousands) flew off a branch at once, filling the air more dense than before. And they were so much vivid and alive than in January! It clearly showed they are ready to start their journey back to north again. (They leave back to Canada at the end of March, although they never get there again... most of them die on the way back and only their children or grandchildren can see the Canadian forests.)
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| Thousands of butterflies take off from a branch at once |
This butterfly sanctuary at Angangueo (and El Rosario) is like the zoo - no matter how many times you go back, it is always fascinating!
（Ｆor more pics, click on the main title above!)
前回の手紙でも書いた通り、メキシコを訪ねてきていた友達とモナルカ蝶も見に行きました。一月に旦那と一緒に見に行きましたが、今回は前回とはまた違った光景が待っていました。
1月に行った日は曇りで、蝶は主に木の枝にぶら下がって休んでいました。正に「塵が積もれば山となる」とはよく言ったもので、こんなに小さくて軽い生き物でも何百万匹も群れると、木の枝が折れそうになるほどで、唖然とさせられたものです。蝶は太陽の光が差し込んでいる間こそ、枝から離れ飛び回っていたものの、飛び方も弱々しく、よく地面や人の頭の上に落ちたりしていました。さらに、人間の手が暖かかったからでしょうか、指をさし向けると快くよじ登りました。
今回は3月初旬だったという事もあり、前回より気温も暖かく、よく晴れていたので、蝶の行動は異なるものでした。馬に乗って森の中を40分ぐらい行ったところで蝶がいる所に辿り着きました。そして、上を向くと、空中から何百枚の紅葉が落ちるように、茶色い蝶々が空を飛び回っていました。前回は枝にぶら下がって休んでいる事が多かったですが、今回は大半が空を飛び回っていました（もちろん、枝に休んでいるのもいました）。そして、何かのバランスが崩れたのか、海のイワシのように群れて行動するのか分かりませんが、時折何万匹もの蝶が一気に飛び立ちます。風に吹かれ、桜の花びらが一気に空中に渦巻くかのような、素晴らしい風景でした！
蝶は前回より生き生きした様子で、もう人間の指に登ったり、地面に落ちたりすることをせず、まるで太陽電池が体の中にあるかのように、太陽のエネルギーで生き返ったように見えました。3月末のカナダへの長旅に向けて備えは十分に見えました。（しかし、残念ながらほとんどの蝶が帰郷途中で死んでしまい、カナダに辿り着くのはメキシコで冬を越した蝶々の子供や孫だそうです。）
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| The butterflies take off from a branch at once |
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