The Monarch habitat deforestation "crisis" in Mexico

[Paul Cherubini]

Pat Foley wrote:

> Nonetheless the animation seems more compelling to me than the two
> isolated photographs (which show a good deal of soil erosion and
> vegetation loss over 10 years).

Monarchs, like other insects, are opportunists. What appears to us as
habitat destruction may, in fact, provide a new kind of habitat opportunity
for the butterflies. For example, when farmers in Mexico have cut holes 
in the forest below the cluster sites to provide space for growing corn, 
the bare ground becomes an awesome new drinking water habitat for the 
butterflies:

http://www.saber.net/~monarch/meadow1.jpeg

This picture above is a close up of the forest clearing I have called
"butterfly drinking water clearing" in the following photos:

http://www.saber.net/~monarch/1990.jpeg
http://www.saber.net/~monarch/2001.jpeg

Paul Cherubini, Placerville, Calif.

 
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