Two species of butterfly have been identified which take part in mass migration. Tens of thousands of
Monarch butterflies travel about 5,000km from Canada and the US to over-winter in Mexico. From November to March, the hibernation point at Mariposa Monarca (Special Biosphere Reserve) encourages visitors to follow trails through the forests where the butterfly spends the winter months.
In Taiwan, when the winter monsoon comes down from the Northeast, tens of thousands of
Purple Milkweed Butterflies make a migration south to take shelter in the warm valleys at the foot of Dawu Mountain. Come the spring, they return to their breeding ground in the north which involves passing over some 600m of busy freeway and this year, the Taiwanese authorities are to close one lane of a major highway to protect them. The authorities are also installing special netting and ultra violet lights, in an effort to raise the flight path of the butterflies, and thereby avoid them being sucked into the down-draught created by the cars.
Labels: butterflies, Mexico, Migration, Taiwan, tours
