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| The Monarch Butterfies: Returning to Pismo in Weeks! |
Pismo's official Monarch Butterfly Grove is easily accessible to butterfly admirers. It is located on State Highway 1 at the south boundary of the city limits of Pismo Beach.
Spectators come from all over the Central Coast and throughout California to catch a glimpse of these dazzling Monarchs. Visitors are greeted by knowledgeable and well-informed volunteer docents offering daily talks and information.
Our colony is one of the largest in the nation, hosting an average of 25,000 butterflies over the last five years. The Monarchs that visit Pismo Beach are a special variety. They have a life span of six months as opposed to that of common Monarchs who live only six weeks (we like to credit this to the stress-free Pismo lifestyle). This can be attributed to a unique fat storing system. However, even with an extended life span, those butterflies that leave in March will never return.
Scientists do not know why the Monarchs consistently return to some wintering sites. In North America, those sites range from the Central and Southern California Coast to Mexico. Some scientists speculate that the insects are equipped with genetic homing systems that lead them from their summer sites in the Sierras, Florida, Canada and the Great Lakes Region in North America back to their winter locations.
On the Central Coast, Monarchs winter in Pismo Beach, Pacific Grove and Morro Bay. The Natural History Museum In Morro Bay is an excellent resource for information about Monarchs.
During the season the Docent Trailer opens at 10am and closes at 4pm daily. Daily talks happen at 11am and 2pm, weather permitting. For more information or directions, please call the Pismo Beach Chamber of Commerce at 800-443-7778. Be sure to visit ClassicCalifornia.com - the Pismo Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau's web site for more information about Pismo Beach.
Spectators come from all over the Central Coast and throughout California to catch a glimpse of these dazzling Monarchs. Visitors are greeted by knowledgeable and well-informed volunteer docents offering daily talks and information.
Our colony is one of the largest in the nation, hosting an average of 25,000 butterflies over the last five years. The Monarchs that visit Pismo Beach are a special variety. They have a life span of six months as opposed to that of common Monarchs who live only six weeks (we like to credit this to the stress-free Pismo lifestyle). This can be attributed to a unique fat storing system. However, even with an extended life span, those butterflies that leave in March will never return.
Scientists do not know why the Monarchs consistently return to some wintering sites. In North America, those sites range from the Central and Southern California Coast to Mexico. Some scientists speculate that the insects are equipped with genetic homing systems that lead them from their summer sites in the Sierras, Florida, Canada and the Great Lakes Region in North America back to their winter locations.
On the Central Coast, Monarchs winter in Pismo Beach, Pacific Grove and Morro Bay. The Natural History Museum In Morro Bay is an excellent resource for information about Monarchs.
During the season the Docent Trailer opens at 10am and closes at 4pm daily. Daily talks happen at 11am and 2pm, weather permitting. For more information or directions, please call the Pismo Beach Chamber of Commerce at 800-443-7778. Be sure to visit ClassicCalifornia.com - the Pismo Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau's web site for more information about Pismo Beach.
And if you are planning on making a trip out to Pismo, or wish to stop here on your tour of the California Central Coast, be sure to contact Valentina Inn & Villas of Pismo Beach, CA, located at the heart of the Central Coast, less than two blocks from the beach.
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