AMERICA’S WESTERN MONARCH MAJOR OVER-WINTERING HABITATS

There are approximately 300 Western Monarch butterfly wintering habitats on the California coast. They form a fragile declining network of approx eight to ten major ( over fifty thousand butterflies each )endangered regular over-wintering habitats. Unlike their cousins the Eastern Monarch butterfly which over-winters in Mexico and is protected by Presidential Decree,California's American Western Monarch butterfly habitats continue to be threatened by industrial and urban development, pesticides, pollution, human intervention and the aging and subsequent decline of suitable groves. Public  awareness ,study, restoration and protection of California's major American Western Monarch Butterfly habitats is needed now.

The loss of suitable major habitats for the now estimated one million remaining western monarch butterflies ( see Beauties Are Back/ Decline article on our home page ) to return to over-winter each year bring into sharp focus the fact that the American Western Monarch butterflies annual migratory phenomenon is in danger. The Eastern monarch butterfly 270 million die-off and its habitats in Mexico have also reached a critical stage. The Monarch butterfly is the only insect to migrate like a bird. Flying north as the milkweed plants come into bloom in the spring and returning each fall flying thousands of miles south to over-winter on California's coast; keeping ahead of the cold winter weather. It has been estimated that one million American Western Monarch butterflies migrate each year from areas west of the Rocky Mountains and Canada to over-wintering sites from October- March on California’s Coast.

Their annual flight is often called “The Miracle Migration". The Monarch butterfly is equipped with nature’s finest GPS system. Recent scientific studies have not yet revealed the secret of how the Monarch butterfly finds its way back to the same grove and tree limb to over-winter some five generations later. Studies suggest that the Monarch butterflies circadian biological clock is like a four dimensional clock knowing how to compensate for the hourly and daily movement of the sun across the sky. We cannot afford to lose the American Western butterflies migratory phenomenon; it cannot be re-created, or its many yet to be discovered mysteries and potential benefits to mankind.

Western Monarch butterflies cluster together on Pine and Eucalyptus trees opening and closing their wings to catch the sun’s energy in major over-wintering habitats in Goleta/ Ellwood, Pacific Grove and Pismo Beach, California.

Photo Pismo Beach State Park

The Daniel Boone Butterfly Palace’s goal is to build a live butterfly conservatory and an American Western Monarch Education & Rare Butterfly Research Center on California’s Central Coast where the largest habitats are located; and to bring maximum general public education and awareness to California’s vital western monarch butterfly major regular over-wintering habitats. California’s American Western Monarch Butterfly habitats are a national environmental treasure and are like owning a major piece of the Grand Canyon and are as important as our last stands of Redwood Forest. They will only be saved and restored with your help to bring public awareness to their existence. 

In 1988 California passed an initiative allocating two million dollars to preserve four sites which have been purchased or protected. Pacific Grove passed a 1.2 million dollar bond issue for purchase.

California’s Major American western Monarch Habitats

Pismo Beach State Park/ Butterflies By the Beach Festival

Pacific Grove/ October Parade

Goleta/ Ellwood Habitat

Monarch, Cayucos, Ca
Copyright © S. Boone Productions, Siamak Sehat, Photographer

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Updated 06/19/03