Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really wanted to go there myself, but heard how strenuous it is and my body is not in shape for that. I can only hope that I can see the sanctuary in California. I know that is much much smaller.

Thanks for sharing

That is spectacular! Simply amazing! I hope mine were amongst the bunch ;-D

Thank you sharing your pictures.

Edna

Geni,

Your pictures are wonderful; some are true masterpieces with the firs, Monarchs, filtered sunlight and shadows!

Thanks for sharing.

mike

Thank you all for your comments. I'm back in Alabama now, and delighted to see that the Monarchs have made it to Texas. I hope they get here before I go back to Mexico in July.

I pruned the stems of some perennial milkweed (A. perennis) about 10 days ago and saved the cuttings, intending to root them in soil. I couldn't get to it immediately, so I put them in a cup of water. I never got around to potting them, but I checked them today and was amazed to find not roots but new leaves on the cuttings.
{{gwi:443787}}
I believe I could mail some cuttings wrapped in a damp towel and sealed in plastic and they would root. I'd certainly be willing to try it if anyone is interested. The seeds of this variety germinate unpredictably (at least for me), and this is a lot faster means of propagation.

Geni,
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! This was just...SPECTACULAR! I couldn't stop saying, over and over again, WOW!

What a magnificent site to behold. Your pictures had me feeling as if I was there with you.

Hey Geni,
please save some cuttings for me, hope we can meet soon..Have you ever received my email??
Greetings
Susanne(SUE)

Suzi, I'll dig you up some plants. Come on down here.
g.

How fantastic, Geni! And you're going back in July? Wow! Did you get to see any other beautiful tropicals during your stay there?

Susan

Oh how fabulous!
About what was the temperature while you were there? And do you know the approximate elevation?
Thanks so much for sharing these wonderful pictures!
MissSherry

wonderful pictures! Penny

Geni,

I had extra time today(cold & rain kept me out of the garden) and I went through your pictures again . I can't recall ever getting such a beautiful and relatively complete picture journey through El Rosario even thinking back to the National Geographic articles. Thanks again for a true masterpiece!

mike

Oh, Mike, you make me blush. Thank all of you very much for your kind comments.

The temperature in northern Michoacan in late February was in the high 70s or low 80s. It was probably cooler as we went higher, but our climbing kept us warm. The Monarchs at El Rosario were higher this year than last. I haven't seen a figure, so I'll give you my best estimate. The park lies on a mountain above and between the towns of Ocampo and Angangueo, which are at 8,000-8,500 feet. The Monarchs typically overwinter at around 10,000 feet. I'm sure we climbed at leat 1,000 feet inside the park. The mountains, I'm told, go up to 12,000 feet. Next year, I intend to take a GPS device with me so that I can determine the altitude precisely.

Except for the visit to El Rosario, I didn't see as many butterflies as I expected in Mexico. But, then again, it was winter, and we experienced hard freezes on three or four successive nights in December. Before the freezes hit, I saw a large number of beautiful butterflies in the garden at the B&B where we spent our first week. I saw Mourning Cloaks, sulphurs and some checkers in my yard in Las Cuevas, and quite a variety of large, bright butterflies at the beach in February. I was not able to photograph many of the butterflies I saw, mainly because I could not get close enough or I didn't have my camera with me or I was with other people who would have been inconvenienced. Those that I was able to catch with my camera are here: {{gwi:443718}}Butterflies of Michoacán

geni

WOW! That is truly amazing!

Elaine

Oh my goodness, what beauty. Your pictures are amazing.

I'm not a regular poster on this forum, but I read it regularly. I'm so glad to have stopped in today to see your photos still on the first page, because I may have missed them had they moved on.

Would it be possible to get a piece of your A. perennis? Of course, I'll pay the postage.

Thank you.

zee

I just looked up A. perennis and it is not hardy in Virginia, so I'm not sure if I should withdraw my request. Don't know if it would thrive as an annual and make seeds here.

I coated the ends of the A. perennis cuttings in rooting hormone and moved them to damp vermiculite. This was not the right thing to do, as they all quickly died. However, I found another large packet of seeds yesterday, so I'll be happy to send some to you, zebz, if you'll e-mail me your address.
geni

Your photos of the Monarchs are awesome!! Thanks for sharing.

Suz