The Flight of the Butterflies

Has anyone seen the incredible IMAX movie The Flight of the Butterflies? Here is a little synopsis of this remarkable film:

The monarch butterfly is a true marvel of nature. Weighing less than a penny, it makes one of the longest migrations on Earth across a continent to a place it has never known. Follow the monarchs' perilous journey and experience millions of them in the remote mountain peaks of Mexico, with breathtaking cinematography from an award winning team including Oscar® winner Peter Parks. Be captivated by the true and compelling story of an intrepid scientist's 40-year search to find their secret hideaway.

Well, this is not breathtaking photography but we did have the rare opportunity to get on little Mexican horses and trek up a steep, rocky and slippery mountain path to the very spot where all those butterflies migrate from Canada to the mountains of Mexico. It was about a 45 minute ride and a 15 minute walk to the top of the mountain where there are “nests” of butterflies hanging everywhere from the trees. It was colder than usual so they were clustered together in clumps for warmth (are butterflies warm?) although many were fluttering everywhere. Here are a few pictures which do not do it justice because we were facing the sun in the late afternoon, but they will give you a glimpse of this fun little adventure.

(Saren, show your kids. They went with us to this movie at the Imax in SLC.)

 

At first we saw one butterfly, then more, then thousands, maybe millions clustered in the trees everywhere! !

 

Wish I knew how to add a video. It was truly inspiring!

It was a once in a lifetime experience!  How lucky are we?