Monarch Viewing

On our last day on the Central Coast before seeing our daughter, son-in-law and grandson off to the airport in Santa Barbara we got to visit one of the locations where the Monarch butterflies spend the winter. They live in the eucalyptus trees within walking distance of C’s grandmother’s home. Following the trail you arrive where the butterflies are but if it is a cool day they will be hanging in masses that look like growths or clumps of dead leaves high up in the branches. As the day warms up thousands fly around apparently. We only got to see a few “awake ones” but it was really cool.

After mating in January and going through a couple of generations the butterflies migrate over the spring and summer all over the western US and ultimately the adults that survive end up back on the Central coast of California again to spend the winter and start the cycle all over again.

Here is a description from a website where there is more information.

http://gocalifornia.about.com/cs/californiamenu/a/monarchs.htm

“ From mid-October through February each year, Monarch butterflies sleep in California's coastal eucalyptus groves. In early morning, visitors watch the trees like a crowd of expectant theatre-goers. Basketball-sized clusters of what at first appear to be brown leaves rustle and stir. The air fills with orange and black wings, and a monarch butterfly parade begins.”

Look for the clusters in my photos. One butterfly was kind enough to pose for me on a post.
Lou