www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

I'm working in San Francisco for a couple of weeks and managed to spend today in Santa Cruz at the park at Lighthouse Field State Beach - one of the Californian overwintering sites for Monarchs. Despite the weather reports, and the fact that the Monarchs are dispersing, I decided to make the 2 hour trek to visit the site - and I'm so glad I did! As soon as I arrived I could already see butterflies flying around the eucalyptus grove where they roost. I was also lucky enough to bump into the local transect walker/warden who gave me some fantastic insights - such as where the remaining clusters were! Apparently, around 5,000 have been roosting there this year - with around 1,500 remaining. In 1989 he estimated that there were over 100,000 !!! In the very warm sunshine, I think I saw everything I could possibly ever want to see; clusters, masses of butterfies, dozens of mating pairs, butterflies in flight, the very strange courtship etc. etc. An absolutely brilliant day and a "life first" for me - and a spectacle I've wanted to see since I was 8 years old. Some photos below - the last being the "West Coast Lady" (Vanessa annabella).

And my thanks to fellow Lepidopterists at http://www.monarchwatch.org/ who helped me narrow the search!

Cheers,

- Pete

Wow! What a fantastic trip to take in the middle of this cold winter! You must have been there at just the right time, to see them flying and sunning as well as just roosting. I guess that is the lepster's Mecca and we should all make the journey at some point in our lives...

I'm looking forward to seeing more of your pictures. Are you working in a city or have you got easy access to butterfly areas?

Guy

Looks like a very nice working holiday and a good photo for the comp, more than one, enjoy yourself Pete.

WOW!

Those photographs are simply amazing, Pete. What an experience that must have been, I bet you didn't want to leave.

I know how blow away I was to see just one Monarch at a time gliding around when I was in Portugal (I assume these are a similar species if not the same as the American Monarchs?). They are well deserving of the name Monarch. It is wonderful that you have achieved a lifetime's ambition, and you have just created one for me.

WOW! I was playing with the idea of visiting Mexico with hubby for our anniversary in a couple of years time. (25 years)
I found a tour there to see the over wintering Monarchs, and your photo's have pushed me more in this direction rather than the cruise that he fancies.
He also likes ruins, and there are lots of lot of ruins in Mexico, so I think that I can push him to go.
Fantastic photo's Pete. Lucky you.

Denise

Wow! Wonder if I'll get the chance to see any when I am in the USA, great shots Pete! And nice pics of Monarchs and the west coast lady, I have always thought the underside of it looks better than the Painted lady we know. Great

padfield wrote:Wow! What a fantastic trip to take in the middle of this cold winter! You must have been there at just the right time, to see them flying and sunning as well as just roosting. I guess that is the lepster's Mecca and we should all make the journey at some point in our lives...

I'm looking forward to seeing more of your pictures. Are you working in a city or have you got easy access to butterfly areas?

Guy

Thanks for the comments all. Apparently this is probably one of the best times to see Monarchs - just before they disperse; although the numbers aren't as great, you do get to see more activity than when they're only clustering! So I guess one sight I've missed is really *huge* clusters!

Unfortunately, I only have today (Sunday) and possibly next Saturday for more adventures. I'm working in San Rafael, just north of San Francisco - and while there are many spectacles to see, the only active butterfly areas at the moment would appear to be the Monarch overwintering sites which are a couple of hours away.

Cheers,

- Pete

Some more photos I've just processed - I took 489 photos in total and forgot about the second "batch"! I've decided to do "other things" today but will visit again next week before I have to fly back to the UK. I've completely missed the snow (so far!). One experience I forgot to mention is when the butterflies fly up in a cloud - which can be caused by any disturbance - a gust of wind, a branch moving, and even a ray of sun hitting them (so that warden told me!). When this happens, it's just incredible - Monarchs everywhere and you need to make a decision to either enjoy the experience, or faff around with your camera settings to see if you can get a decent shot!

Cheers,

- Pete

Wonderful shots Pete.

Terrific shots Pete, the colours look so vibrant in the sunshine. Just what we need to see at this time of year. We will try to save you some snow

Vince.

I agree. Cracking pics, Pete.

Is that a eucalyptus tree the Monarchs are on?

Once again, great pics

Dave McCormick wrote:Is that a eucalyptus tree the Monarchs are on?

Once again, great pics

Yes - that's one of them. The two species of tree being used are eucalyptus and cypress (fir). There didn't seem to be a particular preference. I've included a pic of the main roosting area - which is deep within this clump.

Cheers,

- Pete

Unfortunately I have to be the one to make a critisism of this work and that is as follows...

...YOU DIDNT TAKE ME WITH YOU!

Fab shots, and definately one of the specatacles I've always wanted to see. Thank you for sharing these on such a cold, miserable day!

Incredible Pete,
That must have been a stunning experience and I can imagine that you would have got some amazing shots.
Are these the butterflies that all accumulate on the same branch or tree or something? (I guess so after hearing eucalyptus) I remember seeing a picture when I was a younger kid and had always wondered what they had been up to.
Enjoy yourself!
KL