Verdant View – October 2024

Mariposario

Our Growers Group decided to take a field trip to the Mariposario (butterfly nursery/garden) in Jocotepec this past month. The Mariposario is a large, black-netted, walk-through structure that allows the visitor to commune with butterflies that make their way passively into the structure enticed by drying fruit.

The Mariposario is an independently funded project supported by BioTU. The mission of BioTU is to facilitate the transition to a sustainable Mexico, where the current consumption of resources does not compromise the needs of future generations. Their vision is to assist citizens to become informed about the environmental challenges being confronted in order to collaborate in creating solutions in sustainability and renewable energy for their communities. BioTU is an NGO with 14 years of experience dedicated to educating and raising awareness about sustainability and environmental education issues throughout Mexico with mobile programs.

The Mariposario consists of the butterfly nursery, natural materials/construction kitchen, a dry compost toilet, organic edible food forest and gardens, a natural biofiltration pool, aquaponics farms and a geodesic bamboo dome used for meetings and gatherings. The natural materials constructed kitchen is in use every day. It has a rocket stove, a solar dehydrator, a solar oven and natural water filtration water system. The Mariposario is also a bioregional sustainability training center and a space in which workshops, talks and demonstrations of different eco-techniques and solutions in environmental matters are taught. They have a biofactory, which is a space designed to make mixtures of fertilizers and composts with different techniques. They educate people of all ages with whom they share their knowledge on different topics and in a space where they can live the experience from their facilities and see how these different sustainable solutions work.

On the day of our visit our primary guide was Eva Asher. Eva is bilingual and she and her team are based lakeside and tend to and work at the Mariposario location. The Mariposario is housed on the grounds of the local public high school, CETAC 01 Centro de Estudios Tecnológicos en Aguas Continentales.

Inside the Mariposario, which is a walk-through structure, you see free flying butterflies of several species and the many plants that attract the various butterflies that arrive in Jocotepec. One of the most well known and beautiful is the Monarch butterfly.

With the assistance and design guidance of Brad Mowers, I have my own relatively small butterfly nursery at home, made of wood and metal screens. Brad and I grow milkweed plants in pots to place in the nursery. The milkweed plant is where the Monarch lays her eggs, which then become the striking yellow, black and white banded caterpillars that will magically metamorphosize into the Monarch butterfly. The milkweed plants are the vital source of the Monarch butterfly’s lifecycle and its food.

To visit the Mariposario, contact Suzette Amado, coordinator, at suzette@biotu.org and schedule a visit. Or visit BioTU’s Facebook webpage.

The Monarch butterfly is significantly important to Mexico, it being uniquely entwined with the celebration of Dia de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead and the indigenous culture of the country. This symbolic connection between butterflies and the spirits of the deceased adds a deep spiritual and emotional dimension to one of Mexico’s most fascinating festivities, reminding us of the importance of nature, culture, and the connection between life and death.

The Monarch butterfly, scientifically known as Danaus plexippus, is a species that undertakes one of the most astonishing migrations in nature. These butterflies travel thousands of kilometers from Canada and the United States to the oyamel forests in Mexico during the autumn. In late October millions of Monarchs begin to arrive to the magnificent oyamel fir and pine tree forests of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, located in the heart of Mexico in the eastern regions of Michoacán and western edge of the Estado de México. This natural phenomenon has amazed scientists and nature enthusiasts for generations.

In the cosmology of many indigenous cultures in Mexico, butterflies were considered as the souls of the deceased returning to visit their loved ones on Earth during Day of the Dead. For the Aztecs, these winged creatures were associated with Mictecacihuatl, the goddess of the underworld and protector of the dead. This belief established a profound symbolic connection between butterflies and the transition between life and death.

The coincidence of the Monarch butterfly migration with Day of the Dead is striking. The Indigenous communities that have inhabited these regions for centuries have seen this arrival as a symbol of spirits returning home.

The Monarch butterfly and its connection to Day of the Dead also carry a crucial conservation component. Preserving the oyamel forests where the butterflies spend the winter is essential for ensuring the survival of this species. Conservation efforts have raised awareness about the importance of protecting these forests, not only for their ecological value but also for their cultural and spiritual significance.

If you’d like to see more of the Mariposario, please visit my Travels In Mexico blogsite at: http://fcoandbradsmexicotravels.blogspot.com/.

What to plant in October

It is cooler now and time to plant flora that does not like hot weather. Nights are wonderful and balmy. Sometimes the rains continue into October and the wildflowers are in bloom along the roadsides, at their peak in mid-October especially in Mazamitla and Tapalpa. The viveros have Gerberas, Fuchsias, Petunias, pansies, Asters, Arctotis and Calendulas. Plant sweet peas, stock, Nasturtium, larkspur, yarrow and Viola seeds now for cool weather bloom. Set out Gladiola corms. Also plant root vegetables and members of the cabbage family, and of course more lettuce and peas. Divide Shasta daisies and start cuttings of Chrysanthemums for next year. Prune, deadhead and clean up all plants in the garden, especially Geraniums which tend to become leggy and messy looking.

Despite the sun lowering itself slightly in the sky, the soil is still warm. The bonus is that the flavor of many crops get tastier due to the upcoming cold winter temperatures concentrating the sugars.

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald


For more information about Lake Chapala visit: chapala.com


Francisco Nava
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