California. Monarch butterflies winter on Pismo Beach

The little town of Pismo Beach has become a stage to admire the spectacular migration of monarch butterflies looking to winter in the forests of California, due to the change of season.

From mid-September to February, more than 10,000 monarch butterflies will settle in the trees of Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove, one of five locations in the state of California where the beautiful monarch butterflies will rest for the winter.

So just like tourists, monarchs prefer to live in warm, sunny conditions during winter, so they look for parks that are close to the beach.

“Monarch butterflies choose many of the same destinations that we do for our winter vacations.” Wrote Stacey Leasca in Travel and Leisure magazine, witnessing the great spectacle of the migration of monarch butterflies.

Nevertheless, the maximum migration is reached in November, when the last monarch butterfly settles in the eucalyptus trees of Pismo Beach, California, being a picturesque place that is located on Highway 1 halfway between San José and Los Angeles.

Several tourists and butterfly lovers have even traveled from Canada to see the migration of butterflies. It should be noted that the vast majority of butterflies are grouped on the branches of trees.

Secondly, butterflies stay until February to have their mating season, close to Valentine’s Day. However, climate change and loss of habitat in the state of California and Mexico have created a great threat to this beautiful species, as its population has decreased by up to 90 percent.

Conservation efforts are underway in several states, including California, to help restore monarch and western monarch populations. Environmental officials and volunteers race against time to save both species.

The success of these attempts is unknown. Scientists are concerned about the possibility of a complete collapse of the speciesas the numbers have dropped so drastically in recent years.

Unfortunately, the days for this annual display at Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove can be limited.

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