Discover the Story Behind Mexico's Monarch Butterfly Migration | Atlas Obscura

Each year, as winter gives way to spring, monarch butterflies leave the safety of their wintering grounds in central Mexico and migrate north. This means that places like the El Rosario butterfly sanctuary in Mexico are perfect for marveling at the ten of millions of monarch butterflies surrounding you. But the history behind the scientific discoveries and the significance to the local culture are just as fascinating as the butterflies themselves.
Check out the companion video from Joe Hanson from It’s Okay to Be Smart to learn more about these monarch butterflies! • Unraveling the Great B...
Joe also filmed a VR180 video about the butterflies! Click here to watch that-and remember to look up! • Mexico’s Monarch Butte...
We got to see these monarch butterflies in February 2019, and we were so excited about it, we’ll be going back in 2020! Keep an eye out for 2020 lineup announcements, or sign up for our Trips newsletter and be the first to know. www.atlasobscura.com/unusual-...
Watch our latest video on the hidden megaphones in Estonia's forest here: • Why Are There Megaphon...
CREDITS:
Director
David Schulte
Writer:
Joe Hanson, Ph.D.
Producer:
Amanda Fox
Director of Photography
Greg Daniels
Additional Footage:
Phil Torres-The Jungle Diaries
Executive Producers
Doug Baldinger
Chris Naka
Editor
Lydia Cornett
Audio Mix
Andrew Schneider @ Acre NY
At Atlas Obscura, our mission is to inspire wonder and curiosity about the incredible world we all share. See where we’re exploring here: www.atlasobscura.com
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Пікірлер: 68

  • @atlasobscura
    @atlasobscura5 жыл бұрын

    We loved working with our friends from It's Okay To Be Smart on this video! Check out their companion video here. kzread.info/dash/bejne/mHaVza6ueJnRdLw.html

  • @preshisify

    @preshisify

    5 жыл бұрын

    🤗☕

  • @joslyncarter4813

    @joslyncarter4813

    5 жыл бұрын

    Is it alright if I share this on my blog?

  • @besmart
    @besmart5 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for letting us join you on this trip, we had so much fun telling this story!

  • @atlasobscura

    @atlasobscura

    5 жыл бұрын

    Thank YOU for coming out! So fun marveling at the butterflies :)

  • @ziggyoickle3445

    @ziggyoickle3445

    5 жыл бұрын

    "Scientists in North America and Canada" Am I missing something?

  • @nolanwestrich2602
    @nolanwestrich26025 жыл бұрын

    Especially since this is a collaboration video, I'd expect that this video would have more views. More people need to see this.

  • @atlasobscura

    @atlasobscura

    5 жыл бұрын

    SOON.

  • @wilsonhuang4663
    @wilsonhuang4663 Жыл бұрын

    On our wedding trip in 2016, we went from central China to CDMX then to Zitacuatro in order to reach the sanctuary. We were so amazed by the butterflies. We stayed at a hotel J&M and the host couple planned all the journey for us to ride and hike onto the mountain top. Golden memories, especially treasured during covid years thereafter.

  • @LuminousLibro
    @LuminousLibro5 жыл бұрын

    I grew up near Michoacan, and visited the Monarch butterfly sanctuary when I was in my teens in the 1990s. It was the most amazing experience of my life, and I will never forget it.

  • @atlasobscura

    @atlasobscura

    5 жыл бұрын

    Oh, we're glad you got to see it! It truly is something that has to be seen to really appreciate the majesty of the phenomenon.

  • @LuminousLibro

    @LuminousLibro

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@atlasobscura I remember sitting on a bench in one of the parks, and several Monarch butterflies landed on me. You couldn't walk the trails without going very slowly for fear of stepping on them. They covered the trees and the ground. Anytime you stood still for more than a minute, they would land on your head and arms. It was so magical!

  • @IntrepidFraidyCat
    @IntrepidFraidyCat5 жыл бұрын

    I would love to go see that for myself! I live outside of a small town (about an 1hr from Corpus Christi, Texas)and the monarchs migrate through each year. Our trees are filled with them. I saved one about a year ago....it was cold and it was in the shade. It was nearly stepped on by one of the dogs! I gently scooped it up and cupped my hands around it to warm it. Then released it on the sunny side of the house. That made my day.❤️🦋

  • @atlasobscura

    @atlasobscura

    5 жыл бұрын

    That's such a lovely story, thank you for sharing :) We've heard lots of stories too from some of our readers in California, too, apparently they were out in full force in Southern California earlier this year!

  • @JasonGoldman

    @JasonGoldman

    5 жыл бұрын

    We'll be running this trip again next year, so keep your eyes on the Atlas Obscura trips page if you'd like to join us! The last trip sold out in less than 24 hours, so you'll have to be fast :-)

  • @atlasobscura

    @atlasobscura

    5 жыл бұрын

    and tagging on to @@JasonGoldman 's comment, here is our Trips page! Feel free to subscribe to our newsletter too to get first looks at all the new trips we're running... atlasobscura.com/trips

  • @skylerjayy9956
    @skylerjayy99565 жыл бұрын

    I never realized how beautiful the story behind these butterflies are, it's so wholesome. Great video!

  • @thejojoproductions2532
    @thejojoproductions25325 жыл бұрын

    I was directed here from IOTBS and was drawn by how beautifully shot this video was. Instantly subscribed and I can’t believe this channel only has 64k subs, this channel is truly a gem. Keep up the good work!

  • @atlasobscura

    @atlasobscura

    5 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for subscribing! Welcome! Hope you enjoy your stay, and thank you for the kind words :)

  • @paulakelly6457
    @paulakelly64575 жыл бұрын

    Absolutely amazing! This is definitely on my bucket list now

  • @atlasobscura

    @atlasobscura

    5 жыл бұрын

    It's SUCH a gorgeous sight! You should definitely try to go!

  • @19ars92

    @19ars92

    5 жыл бұрын

    there is also one of the largest fireflies sanctuaries in mexico, google it.

  • @PaolaEP
    @PaolaEP5 жыл бұрын

    I’ve been there and it’s absolutely incredible, you guys should have come sooner tho, it’s a dream come true to see them

  • @wildbytes-Indianwildlifeclub
    @wildbytes-Indianwildlifeclub5 жыл бұрын

    Beautiful video. Conservation on the ground. Great effort in community based conservation

  • @jeffreytaylor3063
    @jeffreytaylor30632 жыл бұрын

    There is a rest stop for the Monarchs at the Red Arroyo in San Angelo, TX. Not as many as in the forests of Michoacan but enough to take my breath away.

  • @lauraw.7008
    @lauraw.7008Ай бұрын

    On my bucket-list.

  • @eduardocastaneda189
    @eduardocastaneda1894 жыл бұрын

    i am from here , and i am waching this, i don´t know why, i love it

  • @angelcm156
    @angelcm1565 жыл бұрын

    I'ts so weird seeing the español partes subbed to english, cuase my brain is like, mm wich one I pay attention to, english or the native spanish? Still great video.

  • @LuminousLibro

    @LuminousLibro

    5 жыл бұрын

    Hey, me too! #bilingualproblems

  • @angelcm156

    @angelcm156

    5 жыл бұрын

    Indeed @@LuminousLibro

  • @mushroombluegoddess6440
    @mushroombluegoddess64405 ай бұрын

    Our planet is so beautiful ❤️

  • @kimberlyhornikel771
    @kimberlyhornikel7713 жыл бұрын

    great video. I loved that you touched on the fact that this has been happening for generations, and we (north americans) were just unaware of it. I see that you want to credit the people who "discovered" where they go, but I think you should have presented it in a more local centric format. Let them tell the whole story, not take second fiddle to the people who "discovered" it.

  • @MrMineHeads.
    @MrMineHeads.5 жыл бұрын

    Beautiful!

  • @martinromero225
    @martinromero2253 жыл бұрын

    This was absolutely fascinating!! A great video and I hope to go back to Mexico one day with my family to see this spectacle :)

  • @ellyjett
    @ellyjett5 жыл бұрын

    Well this video turned me into a subscriber! I always loved watching Monarchs flit around the family garden in the upper Midwest.

  • @atlasobscura

    @atlasobscura

    5 жыл бұрын

    Hello! Welcome! Thank you for joining us :) Aren't the butterflies just beautiful?

  • @josuearias5434
    @josuearias54345 жыл бұрын

    amazing work and histories, keep it up

  • @atlasobscura

    @atlasobscura

    5 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! :)

  • @adorablehorrorfrombeyond1462
    @adorablehorrorfrombeyond14622 жыл бұрын

    Well, this place is going straight to my top travel priorities. Just thinking about seeing the migration is literally making me cry

  • @rtfitch
    @rtfitch2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much for sharing...

  • @dolapod1787
    @dolapod17872 жыл бұрын

    Incredible

  • @roseannlively9458
    @roseannlively94583 жыл бұрын

    I would like to know if there is a tour group or how to go about visiting this place. It is on my bucket list and I feel inadequate on how to start planning a trip to a place like this.

  • @deepsaha9085
    @deepsaha9085 Жыл бұрын

    If we have compassion and love we can do wonders.

  • @mariagarcia4160
    @mariagarcia41604 жыл бұрын

    I need help. What's the easiest better way to get there? Morelia or Mexico City?

  • @sarthakbhole3724
    @sarthakbhole37245 жыл бұрын

    Great piece!

  • @atlasobscura

    @atlasobscura

    5 жыл бұрын

    Thanks! We couldn't have done it without our friends at It's Okay To Be Smart and our amazing Atlas Obscura Trips Guides!

  • @sarthakbhole3724

    @sarthakbhole3724

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@atlasobscura You're welcome. Subscribed to your channel already. Just keep on making such videos.

  • @atlasobscura

    @atlasobscura

    5 жыл бұрын

    @@sarthakbhole3724 aw, thanks! We love making videos like this, so fear not :)

  • @yeseniaramos8745

    @yeseniaramos8745

    4 жыл бұрын

    Hi what's up

  • @aliblack-jg8zz
    @aliblack-jg8zz Жыл бұрын

    Wow😮

  • @johngjerry1892
    @johngjerry18923 жыл бұрын

    😂we have lots butterflies coming here in Naples Florida my garden farms too because of lots people don’t grow flowers & food for butterflies this why butterflies are looking for where they can lives! In winter we still have lots butterflies 😂🇺🇸✌️👊😊

  • @holeshothunter5544
    @holeshothunter55444 жыл бұрын

    Where they come FROM is SANTA CRUZ, Ca

  • @zacharydasilva6097
    @zacharydasilva6097 Жыл бұрын

    Where can you buy the Abies Religiosa tree or seeds?

  • @susangould5746
    @susangould57464 жыл бұрын

    wow

  • @newbie4789
    @newbie47892 жыл бұрын

    This actually made me tier. If Monarch butterfly ever got threatened by human intervention, and got to the point of extinction (which I hope never happens at all), that will be a regret, a bloody stain, on humanity. At that point humanity should better stop living

  • @Asmi-TheReader
    @Asmi-TheReader7 ай бұрын

    Hi... May I know the exact reason "Why can't monarch butterflies survive the winter like other butterflies"???

  • @alx81
    @alx815 жыл бұрын

    No aprendí nada. Como hacen el viaje?

  • @atlasobscura

    @atlasobscura

    5 жыл бұрын

    Hola Alx! Organizamos viajes en todos partes del mundo y este viaje en particular es con nuestro guías de ciencias. Puede visitar nuestro página del red sobre nuestros viajes aquí: www.atlasobscura.com/unusual-trips

  • @tobiaschaparro2372
    @tobiaschaparro23723 жыл бұрын

    Lmao my man has the most Mexican accent ever.🤣 Viva Mexico wey, saludos desde Paraguay.

  • @Juhanikki.
    @Juhanikki.5 жыл бұрын

    The views are coming. Be patient.

  • @davidonfim2381
    @davidonfim23815 жыл бұрын

    I don't know why people insist on "discovery" being an absolute term. When someone says that they discovered a new restaurant, they're not saying that the restaurant was a natural phenomenon that magically became populated with chefs and waiters and whatnot when that person laid eyes upon it. They're just saying that they found something that was new *to them*. Similarly, one culture/group can absolutely discover something that the locals knew about for many years. When people talk about the discovery of where the monarchs migrated to, they're talking about the scientific community becoming aware of it. There's nothing wrong, or racist, or inaccurate about saying things like that. That's what the word "discovery" means.

  • @jorge16178
    @jorge161787 ай бұрын

    Science communicator is an annoying title

  • @nordimejia5790
    @nordimejia5790 Жыл бұрын

    Don't be lazy walk. It is not that far.

  • @nordimejia5790
    @nordimejia5790 Жыл бұрын

    Ejido does not work... TBH