Chasing butterflies in California

The film “Winged Migration” chronicles the amazing routes and distances that birds fly each year on their migration routes. Monarch butterflies do their fair share of traveling in a migration route that can cover up to 2,400 miles. It is a boggling feat for such flimsy creatures. They fly and float on wind currents, covering from 40 to 100 miles a day. The ability of these wisps to flutter so far is part of the fascination. But it’s their Technicolor outfits that vault monarchs to enchantment.

“For me, it is the combination of their sheer beauty and magnificence, their astonishing adaptations, both for self-protection and migration, and what remains to be learned about them,” said ecologist Robert Pyle, author of “Chasing Monarchs.” “In other words, all the grandeur of evolution wrapped up in one organism.”

From November to March, monarchs from east of the Rockies converge on oyamel firs high in the mountains of Michoacan, Mexico. Meanwhile, all the monarchs west of the Rockies fly south and west to the U.S. coast, to the last stand of pine, eucalyptus or cypress before the winds they ride blow out to sea.

They descend on California each November in clouds of orange. Scientists in the 1970s and ‘80s documented more than 200 monarch sites along the coast of California, from Baja to Marin County.

The peak viewing season runs from about Thanksgiving to Christmas, said David F. Marriott, director of the Monarch Program, a research and education organization based in Encinitas, Calif. Populations fluctuate annually, Marriott said.

Here are 10 places in California to see thousands of the butterflies.

Pismo State Beach, Pismo Beach.

The Monarch Butterfly Grove is half a mile south of Pismo Beach just off Highway 1. Park free inside the North Beach Campground, just north of the trees. Contact: (800) 443-7778, www.monarchbutterfly.org or the Pismo Beach Chamber of Commerce, (805) 773-4382.

Monarch Butterfly Natural Preserve, Santa Cruz County.

The park’s monarch grove is about a five-minute walk along a wooden boardwalk from the entrance. Right now, there are 3,000 to 4,000 monarchs in the grove; sunny days are best for viewing because the monarchs flutter in the heat of day rather than cluster on trees. The park hosts monarch tours through February and a Migration Festival when they leave. To get to the preserve, take Swift Avenue west from Highway 1, or follow West Cliff Drive north along the bluffs until it ends at Natural Bridges. Contact: Natural Bridges State Beach, (831) 423-4609, www.parks.ca.gov.

Lighthouse Field State Beach, Santa Cruz. Several inland trails where butterflies can be found criss-cross this state beach. Contact: (831) 420-5270 or www.parks.ca.gov.

Monarch Grove Sanctuary, Pacific Grove.This Monterey Peninsula town calls itself “Butterfly Town, U.S.A.” Go to Ridge Road, one block west of the intersection of Lighthouse Avenue and 17 Mile Drive. Parking is available at the entrance; free admission. The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History and the lighthouse are nearby. (831) 648-5716 or www.pgmuseum.org.

Ellwood Main Monarch Grove, Coronado Butterfly Preserve, Goleta.The eucalyptus grove that draws monarchs is part of the 9.3-acre preserve in Goleta near Santa Barbara. From Highway 101, exit Storke Road/Glen Annie and head south. Turn right on Hollister Avenue, go about 1.2 miles and take a left on Coronado Drive. Entrance is at the end of Coronado Drive. Contact: (805) 966-4520 or www.sblandtrust.org/coronado.html.

Point Lobos State Park, Carmel. In this park, monarchs are found in warm areas along Whaler’s Knoll Trail, according to the park’s website. Contact: (831) 624-4909 or www.pt-lobos.parks.state.ca.us.

Andrew Molera State Park, near Big Sur.The butterflies apparently gather in trees near a walk-in campground called Cooper’s Cabin (entrance fee applies). Head north on Highway 1 and turn into the park on the inland (right) side entrance; the park is about 20 miles south of Carmel. Contact: (831) 667-2315 or www.parks.ca.gov.

Camino Real Park, Ventura.The entire park is known for being a butterfly magnet, but monarchs are known to cluster near several trees by the tennis courts. Contact: (805) 652-4550.

Ardenwood Regional Preserve, Fremont.Open Tuesday through Sunday, $2 for adults, $1 for children. The park is at 34600 Ardenwood Blvd. Contact: (510) 796-0199 or www.ebparks.org/parks/ardenwood.

Shipley Nature Center, Huntington Central Park, Huntington Beach. This Orange County beach town is better known for surfing than butterflies. But if you miss the winter migration, the nature center plants milkweed (a monarch’s favorite) and thousands appear in summer from June through September. Contact: (714) 842-4772 or www.shipleynature.org