These spots will be all aflutter
Tourists aren’t the only ones who love to visit California’s coast in winter. So do monarch butterflies. Thousands of these hardy travelers flock to coastal areas on an annual migration from Central California to Mexico’s Baja Peninsula.
We’ll share the three best places to spot these orange and black butterflies in eucalyptus and pine trees, but here’s where you should not go: The Goleta Butterfly Grove, a popular viewing site on the bluffs in Goleta near Santa Barbara, has been closed indefinitely.
Drought-damaged trees that provide temporary homes for the butterflies are at risk of dying and falling. The city is devising a management plan for the trees and the wildlife, but the area remains closed until then.
Here’s where you can go:
Pismo Beach. The Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pismo Beach is one of the largest viewing areas in the state, with counts in January of about 20,000 butterflies. The grove is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 28- Feb. 28. Prime viewing is in December. The grove is about a mile south of Pismo Beach just off California 1 near the North Beach Campground at the state beach. Info: www.monarchbutterfly.org
Santa Cruz. The state’s sole designated Monarch Preserve is in Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz. You can take an easy walk to an observation platform beneath eucalyptus trees. Warm, sunny days are the best time to visit because that’s when butterflies are most active. The park is open sunrise to sunset, and a free hourlong guided tour occurs at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays in butterfly season. Parking is $10. Info: lat.ms/santacruzbutter flies
Pacific Grove. Monarchs have started to arrive at the Pacific Grove Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in the middle of this town near Monterey. The local natural history museum counts the butterflies every week; the most recent count was 45. Monarch viewing etiquette includes staying on paths (“Monarchs often drink their water from the fog dew left on the ground. You could step on a monarch and never know it”), leaving your dog home and being quiet.
While you’re in the area, stop at the museum as well as Point Pinos Lighthouse and Asilomar State Beach. Info: lat.ms/pgbutterflies
GEO QUIZ ANSWER: Balearic Islands