Monarch without a kingdom I. This November a hundred million butterflies will drop from the sky over Mexico, like autumn leaves. But for how long? Genetically modified maize could mean extinction for this beautiful butterfly. Rafael Ruiz reports.
In November, millions of Monarchs fall like bright, golden rain onto the forests in the mountains of central Mexico. In the silence of these mountains you can hear a strange flapping of wings, as the Monarchs arrive at their destinations. 1)
III. Before reaching their journey’s end they have faced strong winds, rain and snowstorms and they do not all manage to reach their destination. When the winters are really bad, perhaps 70 per cent of them will not survive. Their long journey to Mexico is thought to be one of the most amazing events in the whole of the American continent. When they get there they will stay until the beginning of April, when their internal calendar tells them that it is time to go back. 2).
IV. These delicate creatures now face danger of another kind – from scientific progress.
3) . Laboratory experiments have shown that half of the butterflies which feed on the leaves of genetically modified maize die within 48 hours. Not all experts agree that this variety of maize is responsible for the threat to the Monarchs. In spite of these doubts, the European Union has refused to approve new crops of genetically modified maize until further investigations have been carried out.
In the US, millions of farms grow genetically modified maize which is pure poison for the butterfly.
In the mountains, which reach a height of 3,000 metres, the butterflies are safe.
According to the investigations of the European Union, the Monarch butterfly may disappear in several decades.
The long journey, with all its dangers, begins again.
