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Lomas de Aparicio A Monarch Butterflies, Mexico story

Forests  / 
Wildlife
  1. Monarch Butterflies, Mexico
  2. Lomas de Aparicio
Description

These close-up images show a portion of the reserve. The red spots in the global forest map indicate forest loss. The area in the center of the image is in a location called Lomas de Aparicio, which is within the core zone of the reserve. The forest loss here has been identified as large-scale logging activity by Vidal and others (2013) and by Google Earth imagery from 2004 and 2013.

All of these images clearly demonstrate that the forest was heavily impacted between 2004 and 2013. It is unlikely monarchs will form overwintering colonies at the Lomas de Aparicio site in future years. If they do, they will face much greater environmental risks during their overwintering stay.

Even though the monarchs use only a small portion of this oyamel forest habitat, they depend on the entire dense forest structure. The forest canopy acts as a blanket and keeps them warmer and captures moisture that they need for their survival. A fragmented forest will not do this.

View Related Imagery & Stories

Location

Mar. 17, 1993, Landsat 5 (path/row 27/46) — Lomas de Aparicio site, Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

Mar. 17, 1993, Landsat 5 (path/row 27/46) — Lomas de Aparicio site, Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

Apr. 21, 2000, Landsat 5 (path/row 27/46) — Lomas de Aparicio site, Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

Apr. 21, 2000, Landsat 5 (path/row 27/46) — Lomas de Aparicio site, Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

Mar. 19, 2011, Landsat 5 (path/row 27/46) — Lomas de Aparicio site, Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

Mar. 19, 2011, Landsat 5 (path/row 27/46) — Lomas de Aparicio site, Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

Mar. 11, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 27/46) — Lomas de Aparicio site, Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

Mar. 11, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 27/46) — Lomas de Aparicio site, Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

Apr. 1, 2016, Landsat 8 (path/row 27/46) — Lomas de Aparicio site, Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

Apr. 1, 2016, Landsat 8 (path/row 27/46) — Lomas de Aparicio site, Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico

Global Forest Change map (Hansen and others, 2013).

Global Forest Change map (Hansen and others, 2013).

Mar. 17, 1993, Landsat 5 (path/row 27/46) — Lomas de Aparicio site, Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico
Apr. 21, 2000, Landsat 5 (path/row 27/46) — Lomas de Aparicio site, Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico
Mar. 19, 2011, Landsat 5 (path/row 27/46) — Lomas de Aparicio site, Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico
Mar. 11, 2014, Landsat 8 (path/row 27/46) — Lomas de Aparicio site, Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico
Apr. 1, 2016, Landsat 8 (path/row 27/46) — Lomas de Aparicio site, Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico
Global Forest Change map (Hansen and others, 2013).

Monarch Butterflies, Mexico Additional Imagery & Stories

Degraded Habitats
Degraded Habitats

The monarch migration is an endangered phenomenon. Logging in the overwintering sites in Mexico reduces the area available for the monarchs. The Monar...

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Global Forest Maps
Global Forest Maps

Researchers from the University of Maryland and USGS have mapped changes in forests globally from 2000 to 2013. The maps displayed here are from that ...

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Monarch Value
Monarch Value

The good news about the monarchs is that they are a beloved bug. Kids in classrooms nationwide capture the caterpillars and watch them transform into ...

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NDVI
NDVI

Subtle changes in vegetation are sometimes difficult for us to see when just looking at the imagery. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)...

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Pelon
Pelon

These close-ups show another core zone area of the reserve called Pelon. Forest disturbance is most visible in the 2000 image. Later Landsat images re...

Read More
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