[Animals] Contempla las mariposas monarca en todo su esplendor en este viaje de carretera por California

[FNX Magokiler]

Every winter, the sky over the California coast fills with orange and black wings as thousands of western monarch butterflies take flight. But these iconic butterflies are disappearing. A new route draws attention to their decline and invites travelers to help protect them.

The Western Monarch Trail is a 750-kilometer conservation initiative that links more than a dozen stops along the butterflies' annual migratory route. Here's what you need to know about Western monarchs and where to see them.

Help the butterflies
Western monarchs (a subpo[CENSORED]tion that lives west of the Rocky Mountains) are in trouble. Although their numbers fluctuate each year, the po[CENSORED]tion is estimated to have decreased by 90% since the 1990s, and the scientific community does not know why it is decreasing. They suspect the cause is a combination of increased pesticide use, habitat loss and human-caused climate change.

During the winter of 2020, western monarch numbers plummeted to a staggeringly low level, with fewer than 2,000 butterflies wintering in California, compared to hundreds of thousands or millions of years before. "It was incredibly disconcerting," says Kristin Howland, executive director of the Central Coast State Parks Association, one of the organizations behind the new trail. "It was like, 'Okay, something needs to be done, but what?"

 

 

In 2021, several conservation groups and public organizations came together to help the species. Modeled after the Whale Trail, which aims to help southern resident killer whales recover in the Pacific Northwest, organizers created educational panels in English and Spanish that explain the monarchs' annual migration and their difficult situation. The signs also explain how travelers can help butterflies recover, for example by supporting pesticide-free farms and planting native nectar gardens.

Why Western Monarchs Flock to the California Coast
Today, the route includes 14 locations along the California coast, between Big Sur and Port Hueneme.

Many of the stops along the route, such as the Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove and Andrew Molera State Park, are overwintering sites where western monarchs take refuge from October to February. During these months, travelers can see thousands of butterflies fluttering among eucalyptus and Monterey cypress trees in areas with mild temperatures, diffuse sunlight, high humidity, and little or no wind. "They're like Goldilocks," says Danielle Bronson, educational programs manager at the Pismo State Beach Butterfly Farm; "They cannot be too hot or too cold: they need it in just the right amount."

 

https://www.nationalgeographic.es/animales/2023/12/ruta-ver-mariposa-monarca-viaje-carretera-california