Monarch Butterfly Migration passes through Day of the Dead celebrations

Monarch Butterfly Migration passes through Day of the Dead celebrations

As the monarch butterflies’ annual migration brings them closer and closer to Mexico, one of Mexico’s best-known holidays is approaching. The beginning of November marks Día de los Muertos, or “Day of the Dead.” This holiday celebrates and honors deceased loved ones, and coincidently occurs simultaneously with the monarch arrival in Mexico. Monarch butterflies travel thousands of miles from the United States and Canada to their winter nesting grounds in central Mexico.

The native Purépecha Indians believe that encapsulated within each butterfly is the soul of a returned loved one. In the Mexican state of Michoacán, monarchs drift through the cemeteries. As the butterflies dance across graves, these souls are greeted by locals celebrating the holiday.

The orange-winged beauties add a vibrant touch to the celebrations. As 300 million butterflies complete their 3,000-mile journey, the living rejoice in their annual visit from the returning souls. 

In the new movie Flight of the Butterflies, the observance of Día de los Muertos plays a key role in the plot of the movie. Among the citizen scientists search for the monarch butterflies were Ken Brugger and his wife, Catalina Aguado. As Catalina and Ken visit a local cemetery during Día de los Muertos, they see monarch butterflies heading towards a nearby mountain. This mountain is later discovered to be the winter nesting place of millions of monarch butterflies.