Whole Life Magazine

February / March 2017

Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/781893

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 27 of 43

Pismo Beach, California e Amtrak train (at Grover Beach Station) lets off a good hearty whistle, as I step out onto the platform with my sister, Jeanne. We have traveled some 175 miles north to the Central Coast from Los Angeles to experience the annual Western Monarch Migration. Loaded with supplies for a couple of days of camping, we walk outside into the fresh ocean air and make our way northwest on Pacifi c Coast Highway to the Butterfl y Grove (www.monarchbut- terfl y.org) of Pismo Beach. It is a short walk alongside the railroad tracks, and our campground is located just next door. Migration of the West Coast Monarchs e Great Monarch Migration is underway. Most of us have heard of the Great Annual Migration of the Monarchs, where the butterfl ies travel as far as 4500 miles from Canada south to the overwintering grove in Michoacán, Mexico. But not as well- known is the Migration of the West Coast Monarchs. e Mon- archs that live west of the Rockies don't need to make the long journey to eastern Mexico to overwinter. Instead, they choose to fl y to groves on the central and southern California coast where the climate is just right for their needs. ese groves are some of California's natural treasures, and how the Monarchs fi nd these groves is one of the many Monarch mysteries. Of the more than 400 overwintering groves along the Pacifi c Coastline, the grove at Pismo Beach is one of the most populated. An overwintering grove must have just the right conditions to at- tract and sustain the Western Monarchs. Eucalyptus and Califor- nia pine trees, clustered together at the beaches in the fresh ocean air, create their own microclimate. Dew drips down in the morn- ing from the fog, providing fresh water for the butterfl ies. ey need both fresh air and fresh water, as well as moderate temps to get them through chilly winter months. Here along the coast there is no fear of freezing temperatures. e butterfl ies huddle together for warmth most of the day and all of the night. But come noon, they enjoy a good playful fl ight in the mid-day sunshine. by Kathy Vilim Celebrating Western the Great Monarch Migration Migration Migration Migration Migration Migration Migration Celebrating Western Celebrating Western Celebrating Celebrating Western Celebrating Western Celebrating Western Western Western Western Western Western Migration Migration Migration Western Western Western Western Western Western Western Migration Migration Monarch Monarch Monarch Monarch Monarch Monarch Monarch Monarch Orange wings against blue sky, fl oating eff ortlessly high above us…their fl ight is so Free! Watching Mon- archs fl y makes our spirits fl y free, too. " Photo credit: Kathy Vilim 28 wholelifetimes.com

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Whole Life Magazine - February / March 2017