Western monarch butterflies are back on the Central Coast for the winter and local experts are encouraged by their strong numbers. Monarch populations are closely tracked due to years of decline.
Monarch butterflies start to arrive in California in October and stay from November to February or March. Here on the Central Coast, they take up residence at Pismo State Beach and the Ellwood Mesa in Goleta.
“This coastal climate is ideal for them and they’re looking for groups of trees that create protection from wind and other weather events,” Mallory Claassen said. Claassen is with the California State Parks Oceano Dunes District.
She said they have counted 16,000 at the Pismo State Beach Butterfly Grove so far this season. The number is not quite as high as last year, but she said it’s a strong showing.
“You’ll see them start to cluster up in the late afternoon and they’ll remain in their clusters overnight and through the early morning hours until that sun starts to peek through the grove and warm them,” she said.
In Goleta, they are also seeing good numbers. Biologist and butterfly expert Charis van der Heide said today’s count at Ellwood Mesa is about 20,000 – a significant jump from last year.
“They come back to these trees every year. There were a few years where their numbers were very, very low, but they are back at Ellwood in great numbers this year,” she said.
Van der Heide said monarch butterfly populations are impacted by extreme weather events, so the numbers bounce around. She said too much rain as well as heat waves can affect how the population grows.
Van der Heide is a regional coordinator for the Xerces Society. She said the organization's website includes a lot of information for those interested to learn more.
You can visit the groves at Pismo Beach and Ellwood Mesa. Both locations have docents on site to answer your butterfly questions.
