With Laredo on the route of the fall migration of Monarch butterflies moving through Texas from Canada and the northern United States to the oyamel fir-covered mountains of Michoacán, the Rio Grande International Study Center (RGISC) invites the community to gather to watch the spectacle of their journey on Saturday, Nov. 6 at the Eliseo Valdez Jr. Park.
The event is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the park, which is at the corner of Lyon Street and San Francisco, just off the Zacate Creek Hike and Bike Trail.
The National Association of Latino Arts & Cultures (NALAC) has helped fund the event that includes the official unveiling of artist Antonio (Tony) Briones III’s “Plight of the Monarch” mural painting, a 135-foot public art project commissioned by RGISC through support from the Union Pacific Foundation.
“I didn’t want to just paint pretty butterflies. I wanted to show how important these Monarchs are to our ecosystem and show the reason for their decline,” Briones said.
“The Plight of the Monarch is about how pesticides, pollution and deforestation are the major causes of climate change and how it affects their population. It is important for us and our youngsters to protect the Monarch for the sake of our ecosystem and future generations,” he continued.
Briones will be on-site to present his mural to the community. The public will be able to meet the artist and take pictures at the mural afterward. This public art project was commissioned to raise awareness about the disappearing Monarch and its miraculous journey Of 2,000 miles. Its population numbers have plummeted 80-90% over the past two decades due to illegal logging, pesticides, changing weather patterns, and impacts to the critical milkweed plant.
The site of the mural is home to one of RGISC’s three Monarch gardens, which act as a high-quality habitat for Monarchs and other pollinators by providing them with critical food sources like native milkweed, so that these marvelous viajeras can rest and refuel on their cross-border journey.
Complimentary refreshments will be provided on Saturday. Guest speakers will be Tom Miller, formerly of the Lamar Bruni Vergara Environmental Science Center, and Freedom ES teacher and Monarch butterfly enthusiast and gardener Jennifer Martinez.
Attendees are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs or picnic blankets. Activities such as Monarch face painting and chalking will be available for children. RGISC encourages attendees to help with the Monarch garden by planting milkweed that day.
It takes several generations of the Monarchs to complete their migration cycle on a route somehow stamped into their DNA. Some generations of Monarch last 2-4 weeks, eating and reproducing until the “super-generation” that lives up to nine months and migrates in the fall journey south.
The arrival of the Monarchs in Mexico carries strong cultural significance because their arrival coincides with Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) on November 1 and 2. The belief that Monarchs represent the souls of loved ones visiting for Day of the Dead comes from the Purépecha and the Mazahua, two indigenous peoples.
RGISC has constructed Monarch gardens at the Eliseo Valdez Park, Laredo Water Museum, and Haynes Health & Wellness Center through the support of the USDA – NRCS.
