One of the things I most wanted to see were the Monarch butterflies in Pacific Grove. Each year beginning in October the Monarch butterflies return to winter in Pacific Grove, California. The eucalyptus trees in the area shelter and provide the butterflies with a nectar source they need. They cannot withstand freezing winter temps so in order to survive they migrate to warmer climates for the winters. Monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains spend the winters in the high mountains in central Mexico while those west of the Rockies migrate to Pacific Grove and a few other areas along the coast of central California. In many species such as birds and whales the same individuals travel the same routes year after year, however the Monarchs that migrate to Pacific Grove have never been there before. In fact, several generations have lived and died since the previous years butterflies were in the area. Some scientists believe the butterflies rely on the earth’s magnetic field, the position of the sun and the polarization of the sun’s rays to find their way. Monarchs have trouble flying in temps below 55 degrees. They hang in clusters in the trees and look like dead leaves. As the sun warms them they will begin to open their wings and flutter around. When we arrived it was mid morning and most were still hanging in clumps on the trees but we did see a few fluttering in the air and on the ground. It is truly an amazing site to see. One man there had a scope and let us look thru it to get a closer look. I managed to get a few good photos which I will post here. I suggest you click on the photos of the butterflies in clusters in order to see them better. Amazing!
signs like this one are near the area and some of the residents in Pacific Grove have large Monarch's on their houses
yes, those are butterflies...they look like dried leaves
pretty Monarch's adorn the eucalyptus trees
more butterflies!
found one on the ground fluttering around
ah ha... we found the MAMMOTH butterfly afterall! LOL
Monarch's on the eucalptus tree
the eucalptus trees in Pacific Grove
one last Monarch fluttering on the ground as we were leaving
