| ||
| ||
Monarch Butterflies are not only beautiful as they flutter from flower to flower to drink the nectar, they are also a natural wonder. Every fall the Methuselah or Super Monarch as they are called will migrate south, some over 4500 km from their birth places in the meadows of northern USA and Canada to the Sierra Madre Mountains in central Mexico. Millions will arrive after a long and dangerous journey and cling to the Oyamel Fir trees to overwinter. In March with the sun getting warmer they will head back to northern Mexico and Texas to lay eggs on the essential Milkweed plants, then they will die, and a new generation of monarchs will be born. Their young ones will continue flying north to the Midwest, places like Arkansas, Indiana and Missouri and repeat the process. It is the third or fourth generation that arrives back in Canada to start the cycle once again.Years of pesticide use, mono culture, habitat loss and climate change have caused a huge population loss of the Monarch Butterflies and other important Pollinators. Carlotta James, a runner and
environmentalist living in Peterborough wanted to raise awareness about the dangers of losing these important species from our biodiversity. She shared her idea of organizing a relay run from Peterborough to Mexico and the Monarch Ultra was born. In the fall of 2019 a team of 4 travelled 4,300 km from Peterborough to the Cerro Pelon Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in central Mexico. 45 different runners ran 50 or 100 km per day following the flightpath of the Monarchs. Our team visited schools, city halls, Rotary Clubs, parks, plazas and met with students, environmentalists, politicians and media to deliver the message to conserve this natural wonder and protect pollinators.
environmentalist living in Peterborough wanted to raise awareness about the dangers of losing these important species from our biodiversity. She shared her idea of organizing a relay run from Peterborough to Mexico and the Monarch Ultra was born. In the fall of 2019 a team of 4 travelled 4,300 km from Peterborough to the Cerro Pelon Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in central Mexico. 45 different runners ran 50 or 100 km per day following the flightpath of the Monarchs. Our team visited schools, city halls, Rotary Clubs, parks, plazas and met with students, environmentalists, politicians and media to deliver the message to conserve this natural wonder and protect pollinators.This coming September we will once again run for monarch butterflies. An 1,800 km route will take us from Peterborough through the GTA, Niagara and southwest Ontario to end up after 3 weeks in Barrie on October 9th. Rotary clubs all along the route have been contacted and many offered to help by connecting us with the community, offering homestays, organizing pop-up events the day we pass through towns, and providing financial assistance. With Rotary’s new Area of Focus being the environment we seemed to have a perfect match connecting the Monarch Ultra with clubs and districts while working together to educate and preserve our precious Monarch Butterflies.
If you'd like to get involved, please send an email to the Monarch Ultra at: themonarchultra@gmail.com, or visit our website: http://www.themonarchultra.com/
Written by: Peterborough Kawartha Rotary Club member and Monarch Ultra team member
Photo images taken by Carlotta James