butterfly grove revisited

BUTTERFLY GROVE REVISITED

there is something quite peaceful about walking to this bluff and going down to the beach near what we call the butterfly grove

this weekend we wanted to see if the butterflies were around
so
we hiked from the parking lot through the butterfly grove
every so often there is a path out of the grove that leads to the ocean

we walked halfway into the grove about mid morning then out towards the bluffs and the beach
we only saw three butterflies or was it one butterfly three times

when i walk in this area i use a walking stick my artist author carver bro in law made for me from a dogwood limb
its all gnarly with my name carved on it

my wife she uses a walking stick a former patient gave us

we walked to the edge of the bluff and along the edge gazing and a pausing as we went
it was at the end of high tide
i looked for signs of dolphins or whales but saw none
a fishing boat slowly moved across the ocean as it fished near the shore
it was a cool fall day but sunny and comfortable

i stood for the longest time mesmerized by the view the wind the smells
i felt quite relaxed and contented to stop there
but
we walked on along the bluff down a worn walkway to the beach
luckily the tide was receding
we walked along where the high tide water had lapped onto the beach 
i found a few prices to put in my succulent pots for decoration
a rock a worn piece of drift wood a rock that had fallen down off one of the cliffs

there is nothing like a walk on the beach to soothe your soul
but
wait
it got better

as we walked back to the butterfly grove we started to see a few monarchs 
afluttering around
the day had warmed a few degrees higher
as we walked we saw maybe 20 or so
i told my wife she
well we saw a few so lets go
last year at this time we saw that one three times or maybe three one time

as we headed deeper into the designated walkways
off to the side we noticed a lot of folks just standing and being real quiet
so
we wandered over
we stood for a long time
there were hundreds of monarchs fluttering around and hanging on the eucalyptus trees as in the photo below from the linked article

i took the picture above but couldnt get focused down on the monarchs
this area was deep into the grove
there was an area where the sun could shine deep to the floor of the grove
i guess it warmed things up for the monarchs 
making them active

like on the beach and the bluffs i could have stood there all day 


picture and article from atlasobscura.com on monarchs

we are excited the monarchs are coming back this year
we hope they return in greater numbers next year

weather changes and pollution has lowered their numbers to a point there is worry they will go extinct
there is a movement to put them on the endangered species list
so they will get more protections 

it will be sad if future generations dont get to see this mesmerizing scene

a 10,000 step mesmerizing journey we took this weekend

do your part to make sure this opportunity doesnt go away

the organicgreen doctor