WHILE THE NOTION OF "FLUTTERING"... in the later part of October may make you understandably think of bats, especially tiny, adorable, palm-sized bats, there are other earthlings out there doing the whole fabulous flutter thing. True, the National Bat Week does arrive just before Halloween, but thousands of fluttery critters are also arriving just around Halloween, up and down the Central Coast and Monterey Peninsula, where groves of majestic trees await their presence. It's the...
MARVELOUS MONARCH BUTTERFLY... we're talking about, of course, a spectacular, on-the-wind superstar that overwinters in several Golden State spots when November grows near. Which means if you make your way to Pacific Grove, a Monarch-rich area, and specifically the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary, you may be in for a cluster-tastic treat: Thousands of colorful insects up in the branches of the sanctuary's "pine, cypress, and eucalyptus trees."
"NOVEMBER TO FEBRUARY"... are the months to watch, per the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History. It's a super place to see the flutterers, for "Pacific Grove has one of the largest monarch overwintering sites in American and the largest population of overwintering monarchs in Monterey County for public viewing." For when to find the info-sharing docents at the sanctuary, and for all of your need-to-knows about the butterflies, their life cycles, and calling upon the area, flutter here now for more Monarch-a-tude, including the best time of day to visit and "Monarch Viewing Etiquette," too.
