THE MONARCHS ARE BACK: A Visit to the Coronado Butterfly Preserve, Goleta, CA

Monarch Butterflies. Coronado Butterfly Preserve, Goleta, CA

In early February, Art and I did a short trip to Santa Barbara, about two hours north of our home in Los Angeles. Art gave a talk at UC Santa Barbara, and while he was doing that, I visited the Coronado Butterfly Preserve in Goleta with friends who live locally. Luckily they knew just where to go--at the usual spot in Elwood Grove the butterflies were gone, but after following the path for another ten minutes or so, we found them–giant dark clusters hanging high in the eucalyptus trees and hundreds more butterflies fluttering in the sunlight. 

It was thrilling, especially since in recent years the monarchs seemed to have almost disappeared. No one can explain this year's resurgence but everyone is happy.  (Although the numbers are not what they once were–when millions of butterflies gathered at their winter homes along the West Coast–this year’s butterfly count is one hundred times more than last year.)

Pollinator display.

After parking our car at the end of the residential street near the entrance to the preserve (marked by a large sign), we walked up a small hill and past a meadow and a display explaining the role of butterflies as pollinators. 

Path into the eucalyptus grove.

From there we entered the forest, where eucalyptus trees more than one hundred feet tall reach to the sky. As we approached the Elwood Grove we looked up and saw a few butterflies high in the canopy, but no clusters in the trees. We continued on the path through the forest. Then suddenly, overhead, we spotted huge clumps of butterflies hanging from the high branches. 

Clumps of monarchs.

It was a warm afternoon and the air was filled with flapping wings as butterflies searched for food and mates. Down on the ground we had to be careful not to step on a pair in their mating embrace. (see top photo) After the butterflies disperse, the female monarch will lay her eggs on milkweed leaves and a new cycle of life will begin.

Monarchs flying among the branches.

Monarchs east of the Rockies spend the winter in Mexico; west of the Rockies they gather along the California coast, assembling in large clumps in pine and eucalyptus groves where they have access to fresh water and flowers to feed on. The preserve in Goleta is just one of many places where monarchs gather in California. Typically, they arrive in October and November and stay until mid-February and March.

Clifftop path.

After viewing the butterflies we went up onto the bluff for a walk with a spectacular view of the ocean and the beach below.
Soon the butterflies will disperse. I hope some of them will come to my yard in LA and feed on the milkweed I have planted in pots on my patio.

For an excellent article in the Los Angeles Times about monarchs and the people who study them, click HERE. 

For directions to and information about the Coronado Butterfly Preserve, click HERE. 

Note: For our visit to Santa Barbara, my husband and I stayed at the Upham Hotel, the oldest continuously operating hotel in Southern California, opening in 1871. We stayed in one of the cottages surrounding the interior garden. As one reviewer says, the property exudes Victorian charm without going overboard. I had a tasty dinner in the accompanying restaurant, Louie’s Bistro, eating outside on the side porch. The hotel is just two blocks from State Street in Santa Barbara’s downtown.

Sign at the beginning of the path into the butterfly preserve.

 

WEEKEND IN MORRO BAY ON CALIFORNIA'S CENTRAL COAST: Guest Post by Susan Kean

Morro Bay is known for Morro Rock, an ancient volcanic mound at the end of Morro Rock Beach. The rock sits within Morro Bay State Park, home to lagoons, trails and a bird-rich saltwater marsh.

Recently, my friend Susan Kean traveled up the California coast to Morro Bay, stopping along the way at Pismo Beach and Ventura. I thank Susan for sharing her experience and photos with The Intrepid Tourist.

Whimbrel and a little plover

Morro Bay and the surrounding area is an idea spot for avid birders. Located on the Pacific Flyway, Morro Bay is a Globally Important Bird Area and a designated State and National Estuary.  In most years in January, The Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival promotes an understanding and appreciation of birds and other wildlife and an awareness of environmental and conservation issues of the Central Coast. This year, because of Covid, the festival was cancelled. (Despite the cancellation, The Morro Bay Bird Festival volunteers put on a virtual bird festival at the last minute and links to recordings of their free presentations may be found at Morrobaybirdfestival.org .)

Morro Beach at low tide.

Susan writes: Sadly the Morro Bay Winter Bird Festival was cancelled because of COVID but we still came up to Morro Bay for the weekend.  As the hotel registration person said, the birds haven’t cancelled.  Most exciting for me was seeing my first pair of bald eagles.

Silhouette of bald eagle in tree.

Old wrecked ship at Estero Bluffs

The tsunami hit at about about 8 am, which for Morro Bay amounted to unusual wave formation! Later in the day we did a boat ride and the boat guy said the water in the bay was still rocking back and forth, like in a bowl. As far as we were concerned we didn’t notice anything other than very cloudy water. [Susan's trip was the same weekend as the volcanic eruption in Tonga that resulted in a tsunami that impacted the California coast.]

Sea Lions, Morro Bay

On the way up to Morro Bay we visited the monarch butterfly grove at Pismo Beach. They are pleased with the numbers of butterflies this year. Last year they had none.

Monarch butterflies in eucalyptus trees at Pismo Beach. During migration the butterflies hang in clusters.

Entrance to the Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove

 

Giant Coreopsis in a Channel Island native plant garden at the visitor center in Ventura.

FLOWERING BRIDGE, Lake Lure, North Carolina: A Real and Miniature World

52 Places to Go: Week 36

Lake Lure Flowering Bridge, Lake Lure, NC

From roses to succulents, pollinator gardens to art installations, the Flowering Bridge at Lake Lure, in the mountains of western North Carolina, is a wonder of nature and testament to the volunteers who turned an abandoned bridge into a beautiful floral walkway. 

View toward Chimney Rock from the Flowering Bridge

The project began in 2012, when gardens were first planted at either end of the bridge and then in following years on the bridge itself. I visited the Flowering Bridge in August 2021, on a trip with my family. As we wandered the 550 foot path across the bridge, each turn gave us a new view--of the plants and flowers themselves, art objects, mirrors, and ornaments decorating the garden, the Broad River that flows under the bridge, and the wooded mountains that rise above the valley.

Rabbit and tiny fairy angel along the path.

And tucked among the plants was a host of delightful surprises–tiny scenes with miniature figures in a fairy-tale like world. 

Tiny log home with wishing well and fairy perched in a knothole window.

In some, wooden stumps and clumps of moss were turned into tiny forest homes. Other scenes were nestled into open spaces among the plants. Occupants varied from tiny gnomes and fairy figures, to little people and animals.

Mr. McGregor's Garden and Peter Rabbit's family.

Peter Rabbit and his little blue coat.

Each of the thirty garden areas has a theme. Peter Rabbit Children’s Garden features a scene from Mr. MacGregor’s garden, which, if you remember, Peter Rabbit visited when he should have been picking blackberries with his brothers and sisters, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail. If you look carefully, you can find Peter--and his blue coat that he left behind as he escaped from Mr. McGregor who was said to have turned Peter's unfortunate father into a pie.

Bringing home a plant for the garden.

Getting ready for a mini-barbeque.

Among my favorites of the various tiny scenes were two gnomes with a miniature grill outside their tree stump home. Another favorite was a small pickup truck pulling a tiny teardrop camper.The fairy scenes are on display between June 1 and September 7. They change from year to year.

Guides and maps to the garden are available at the entrance.

At the beginning of the walk, informational panels tell the history of the garden walk project and provide guides to some of the wildlife–birds, bees, butterflies–one might encounter in the garden. The Lake Lure Flowering Bridge is a stop along the Rosalynn Carter Butterfly Trail, which begins in Plains, Georgia, at the home of President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter. The mission of the trail is to promote the full life cycle of butterflies common in this area with a special emphasis on the monarch.

Mirror, mirror on the Wall! Throughout the garden, various mirrors reflect both the plants and visitors!

My visit to the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge was at the beginning of August, when summer flowers were in full bloom. The garden is free and open to the public year round.  For more information go to www.lakelureflowergingbridge.org .

A day the beach for tiny garden gnomes.

All text and photos copyright Caroline Arnold at The Intrepid Tourist.