A couple of years ago I ran across a book that was geared toward kids entitled 101 Places You Gotta See Before You're 12! I couldn't resist and picked up a used copy on Amazon. The kids loved the colorful pictures, and I loved how it was written! They immediately went to work figuring out what they could cross off and what they still needed to do, according to the author. 
One of the places listed in the book was something along the line of checking out the migratory path of some animal. We were brainstorming about what to do to complete this one, and it occurred to us that the Monarch butterflies gather at Pointe Peele, Canada before heading south to Mexico. Not long thereafter, we watched the Flight of the Butterflies at The Henry Ford. That solidified our desire to check out the monarchs. Unfortunately, we just couldn't seem to make it to Canada on one of the fall weekends when the butterflies would be in abundance. So, we made a point to see them in their winter home, in Mexico.
The there a 5 wildlife preserves in the mountains of Mexico, dedicated to the monarchs' winter home. The most well known ones are in the state of Michuacan. Yet there is another reserve, Santuario Piedrea Herrada, which is a little less well known, and about 20 km outside the city of Valle de Bravo (in the Estado de Mexico). So we made our plans to go in mid-January. 
After making it to the point of disembarkation, we had the choice of hiking up the mountain to where the butterflies make their home in the forest, going most of the way on horseback. Since two of the four kids had been sick in the car, we opted for the horses.
And what a beautiful ride it turned out to be. From astride a horse, you could see the butterflies perched atop tall flowering plants. You could peer into the valleys and watch the masses of butterflies teeming in the sunlight. We were lucky in that the day was warn and dry; the butterflies were active.
The last stretch up the mountain was on foot. It was so quiet here, that you could hear the masses of wings flapping. Butterflies were everywhere, on every surface. They'd bump into you as they flitted from place to place. Even with all the activity, there were several trees that were completely encapsulated with the little orange and black bodies. Our guide told us that sometimes entire limbs will break off of the trees, due to the cumulative weight of the butterflies resting there, one on top of the other. 
Our guide also showed us how to distinguish between male and female monarchs. He found a little guy with a bad wing, and turned him upside down. On the lower side of the wing, in the bottom quadrant, he pointed out a single black dot that was on each wing. This butterfly was male. Females don't have the dot.
Our stay in this enchanted forest was quite mystical. You had to really watch your step so as not to inadvertently crush them. They landed everywhere including on the kids. It was really an incredible experience, even for those of us over 12. Hopefully we will make it to Point Peele down the road to meet our winged friends on the other end of their epic journey.
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