🦋 The Man Who Guards 1 Million Butterflies

Good Morning friend 🌞

Welcome to another day of Joy Hour, your dose of positivity and inspiration! High in the mountains of Mexico, between twin volcanoes, a remarkable story unfolds. Here, monarch butterflies - each weighing less than a paperclip - complete one of nature's most extraordinary migrations, and a dedicated community fights to protect their journey.

Between two volcanoes in Mexico, there's a story unfolding that reminds us of nature's incredible wonders. At the Joya Redonda Sanctuary, thousands of monarch butterflies create a breathtaking display that changed one man's life forever.

This love turned into dedication. Every Wednesday, Eduardo and his monitoring team make the journey up a rocky road to spend their week protecting these remarkable visitors. They track the butterflies' arrival, monitor their numbers, and ensure their safety through the winter months.

Their commitment has led to extraordinary results. Under Eduardo's leadership, the sanctuary transformed from hosting just 4 trees of butterfly colonies to 42 in a single season. It's a powerful reminder of how human dedication can help nature thrive.

What Makes This Story Special:

• These butterflies weigh just half a gram - less than a paperclip

• They journey up to 3,000 miles from Canada and the US

• Each day they can travel between 50-100 miles

• Scientists debate whether this migration started centuries or millennia ago

Eduardo captures the wonder perfectly: "I feel satisfied. I'm happy that they come. To me, it is incredible that an insect that weighs half a gram migrates more than 5,000 kilometers. Sometimes I simply can't believe it."

A Glimpse into the Future: The story doesn't end there. Scientists are now undertaking an innovative project: moving forests to higher elevations to create future homes for these butterflies. They've already relocated 960 trees, showing how far we'll go to protect these remarkable creatures.

Community Spirit: The town of San Miguel Atlautla has embraced their winged visitors. Each March, they host a Monarch Butterfly Festival, complete with street murals and educational workshops. It's a beautiful example of how conservation can bring a community together.

Hope you had a good halloween! 🎃

If you have any cute pic you’d like to share please reply and I’ll feature it in an upcoming issue.

"We cannot protect something we do not love, we cannot love what we do not know, and we cannot know what we do not see. And touch. And hear." - Richard Louv

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See you next time for more inspiring stories! 👋