Monarch Winter Sanctuary

Remember when you were a kid and you'd get captivated by a photograph, a bit of knowledge, a new idea?  One summer my brother's National Geographic World magazine had an article about monarch butterflies gathering in Mexico for the winter.  I was amazed by the photos of butterflies by the thousands.  I tried to imagine how it would feel to stand there among them.

Then recently a friend posted on her blog about visiting wintering butterflies in...California?!  Yup.  I soon learned there is a continental divide for butterflies!  Monarchs east of the Rockies fly to Mexico for the winter, but those west of the mountains go to spots in Southern California.  A few of these spots are within easy driving distance of where we live.  This weekend we visited the Monarch Grove Sanctuary in Pacific Grove near Monterey, a site that welcomes over 25,000 butterflies each winter.  The butterflies may travel almost 2,000 miles to reach their winter safety, flying up to 200 miles a day and at altitudes up to 10,000 feet.* 

 

I pictured walking into a forest full of fluttering orange, but the butterflies are mostly resting during the winter -- especially on cold days like the one for our visit.  They were clumped in the trees about 15 to 30 feet up.  Because their wings were closed, hiding the bright orange of their inner wings, they looked almost like dead leaves, fish scales, or even fungal growths.  Some smart folks brought binoculars.  My telephoto camera lens helped me out some, especially since I brought my tripod to hold it still.

 

Here's a crop from the photo above so you can see better... 

 

Sunlight fell on some of the clusters of butterflies, and these warmer groups were more lively.  Here and there butterflies flexed their wings or made short flights from branch to branch. 

 

A crop of the above photo...

 

There were a few stray butterflies on lower branches, which was helpful.  Eli is inexperienced enough that I'm not sure he really saw or understood the still, folded butterflies so high above him.  He loved looking at some close up, though. 

 

 

The sanctuary has a short nature trail dotted with places where you can sit back to enjoy the sounds and smells of the ocean breezes blowing through the eucalyptus trees. 

 

We went to the library before our trip and carried Angela Royston's Life Cycle of a Butterfly with us.  (Chicago:  Heinemann Raintree, 2009.)   Click HERE for Surlalune Storytime resources on butterflies -- books, songs, puppets, and more.

Thanks to Tiffany for sharing about the butterflies on her blog.   Even more, my thanks goes to Tiffany and her father for serving as volunteers for the sanctuary when it was just beginning.  They went door to door to gain support for preserving the butterflies' wintering grounds as development encroached.  Sometimes just a handful of people really can make a difference.  (Click HERE for the Monarch Grove Sanctuary website.)

(*The facts I found came from the Royston book and the Sanctuary website.  The numbers varied slightly between these two sources.)

Comments

[Norma]

Such an interesting entry! Thanks again for sharing! Love you!!

[Valerie J. Frey]

Thanks, Norma. It really was fascinating.
Love you too!

[Nicole]

Love it. I haven't been to the one in Pacific Grove, but the one in Natural Bridges (Santa Cruz). I am not sure we will make it this year. Did you know they have small clusters at Point Pinole? Too small for the little ones.

You sure do get around. You are making sure you see everything here before you go aren't you?

[Valerie J. Frey]

LOL! Nicole, I was having this same conversation with friends at lunch today. I admit it! I have a "bucket list" and am trying to cover a lot of ground before we leave in July. But Eli seems to be enjoying it and I don't feel we're rushing around. :o)

[Kelly @ The Homeschool Co-op]

Oh - I've always wanted to do this! I didn't know they were in California either. That makes it a little more possible for us (although still a bit of a trek from Canada). Thanks so much for sharing.

[Valerie J. Frey]

Thanks, Kelly. It really was fun! Definitely bring binoculars if you head there.