Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/781893
Meeting & Photographing Monarchs at the Grove Arriving at the grove, the fragrance of eucalyptus fi lls the air. My sister takes the lead walking along the paths, both of us cran- ing our necks to get a glimpse of the orange-winged beauties. At fi rst, we see nothing, and I am disappointed! ere should be thousands of Monarchs here by now! (Monarchs begin to arrive in late October.) Just then, a helpful California park ranger shows me to one of the viewing scopes, trained on a cluster of butterfl ies up high in a eucalyptus tree. She also shows me how I can use the scope, combined with the camera in my smart phone, to get great professional photographs of them. e Monarchs hang high in the trees, clustered together for warmth, and when they do so, they close their wings, hiding the bright orange color you'd normally expect to see. is makes the clusters diffi cult to spot at fi rst. e Monarchs remain very still, conserving their energy in the cold dark hours of winter and ac- tually enter a state of torpor or hibernation. But, in the warm sun- light of mid-day, it is a diff erent scene altogether. e Monarchs leave the trees and fl it about, gliding like ballerinas, their large wings riding the breezes in front of the sun. To me it seemed that they were everywhere, fl ying freely, high above me, disappearing and then re-appearing right next to me a moment later. I found a great energy surrounding these Monarch butterfl ies and an excitement that was contagious. ousands of the beauti- ful orange-winged creatures gathered together for the holidays… Nature gives this holiday gi to Californians each winter… the gi of California Gold… and we are so lucky for it. Nowhere else in this country can Monarchs be observed overwintering en masse. We need to remember how fragile these groves are. We need to stay vigilant to protect California's treasured groves so that we will continue to have the Monarchs here. When to Visit and Where to Stay In California, the best time to visit the overwintering groves of the Monarchs is from November to mid-February. e Pismo Beach Butterfl y Grove is open through February 27th. ere are plenty of places to stay in the Pismo Beach area, from motels and lodges to campgrounds. On this trip, my sister Jeanne and I chose to camp out under the stars, so that we could listen to the ocean's waves crashing as we slept. When Monarchs Leave the Grove By February, the Monarchs are done resting. ey will wake up, have a frenzy of mating, and the now-fertile females will leave with eggs to lay. I was surprised to fi nd that the Monarchs did not leave all at once. For some reason, I assumed that they worked together as sort of a 'collective mind,' but no, they are individuals. Each one decides when it is time to come to the grove and when it is time to go back home. e females fl y high in search of specifi c plants on which to lay their eggs. California Milkweed and Narrow-Leafed Milkweed (Asclepias californica and As- clepias fascicularis) are the only host plants specifi c to coast- al California that will provide food for the hungry caterpil- lars (larvae). At the same time, Milkweed also provides a natural defense for the caterpillars, as it contains a toxin that is deadly to birds. e young will carry this toxin with them their whole short life, and in this way they will be protected from predators. Plant Milkweed Armed with this knowledge, and still excited by having met my new friends, the Monarchs, I traveled back to Los Angeles in search of Milkweed plants to grow in my garden. Given the un- fathomable task of the female Monarch searching high and low for Milkweed, I thought I would try to help out as much as I could. If you have a garden, I would encourage you to add some of these native plants, as well. Important: Shop for a variety local to your area. In the Los Angeles area, this would be California Milkweed and Narrow-Leafed Milkweed. For help, try the eodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley, www.theodorepayne.org (818-768- 1802) where they have been growing native plants for years. e Butterfl y Grove in Pismo Beach remains open until Febru- ary 27, 2017. Why not make a trip up there right now, or plan a trip to one of Central California's Monarch groves next autumn/ winter? e chance to witness this magical event is one of Califor- nia's treasures. From Santa Cruz south to the Baja, there are plenty of spots to witness another California Gold Experience. me to one of the viewing scopes, trained on a cluster of butterfl ies up high in a eucalyptus tree. She also shows me how I can use the scope, combined with the camera in my smart phone, to get great me to one of the viewing scopes, trained on a cluster of butterfl ies up high in a eucalyptus tree. She also shows me how I can use the Photo credit: Las Pilitas Nursery worked together as sort of a 'collective mind,' but no, they are individuals. Each one decides when it is time to come worked together as sort of a 'collective mind,' but no, they worked together as sort of a 'collective mind,' but no, they did not leave all at once. For some reason, I assumed that they worked together as sort of a 'collective mind,' but no, they did not leave all at once. For some reason, I assumed that they worked together as sort of a 'collective mind,' but no, they worked together as sort of a 'collective mind,' but no, they february/march 2017 29