It’s not only tourists who flock to Santa Barbara during the winter months each year in search of an escape from the bitter cold. The monarch butterfly also arrives in the thousands to roost in one of the largest over-wintering monarch sites in California.
The butterflies begin their long journey from the North in early September seeking warmer habitats along the coast of California. After traveling up to three thousand miles, they come to land among the eucalyptus at the 9.3 acre Coronado Butterfly Preserve. Part of the larger land area known as Ellwood Mesa, the preserve is a unique hideaway, nestled in the neighborhoods of West Goleta.
It’s no mystery why the butterflies choose to roost where they do. The preserve provides them with many necessities for the butterflies’ survival such as a nearby source of water, nectar from the winter- blooming eucalyptus, and moderate temperatures throughout the winter. Yet, what remains unknown is how the butterflies know to come back year after year. With a life span ranging from a matter of weeks up to six months, it is not the same butterflies that return during the next winter season, but butterflies that were born generations after the last monarchs who made the journey south.
Regardless of the reasons why the butterflies continue to return to Santa Barbara, both residents and visitors are welcome to witness part of the life-cycle of these mysterious little creatures. Starting in late December, the entire grove comes alive as the butterflies become more active. Illuminated wings fill the sky overhead as the butterflies flutter from branch to branch. This is the most popular time for visitors to come to the grove as the butterflies tend to be more visible, especially during the middle, and warmer, part of the day.
On any given weekend during the winter months, Coronado Drive can be found lined with cars. A mixed crowd including families, tourists from all over the world, college students, and professional photographers make their way down the dirt trail marked with butterfly signs and into the dense eucalyptus forest. A narrow path leads through the preserve, crosses Devereux Creek and climbs a jaunty uphill trail which leads straight into the Ellwood Main Grove. Fallen tree trunks create natural amphitheatre type seating from which visitors view the butterflies. High up among the towering eucalyptus the fragile species cling to the branches forming clusters that resemble the leaves on a tree. The longer you look the more alive the tree will become as your eye catches the fluttering of each individual butterfly wing.
Although the grove and its surrounding areas are now preserved for present and future generations to explore that wasn’t always the case. In an almost thirty year struggle, the local community fought to keep the coastal sanctuary protected from the threat of development. Citizens watched as the county expanded and many open spaces disappeared. Yet, local residents and organizations persisted. Both private and public supporters helped to raise over $20 million dollars in donations to see that the land be protected. In 2005, the preservation of Ellwood Mesa was made official and has since continued to be the pride of Santa Barbara County. The grove and coastal bluff area is now preserved with the help of local volunteers for the thousands of visitors who come seeking an escape into nature and a chance to see butterflies in their natural habitat.
Whether you’re looking for a fun family outing or just an hour to get out into nature, Ellwood Mesa also provides 137 acres to explore. Besides the Ellwood Main Butterfly Grove there are also paths leading through the rest of the sun-speckled forest and out onto the Sperling Preserve; a series of trails which lead to the Ellwood Shores Coastal Bluffs. The coastal trail provides a flat jogging path with amazing panoramic ocean views and Monarch Meadow is a great place to study the local flora and fauna. Children will not only love seeing the multitudes of butterflies, but the trip can be educational as well thanks to the informational signs at the beginning of the trail. It goes without saying that all who visit Ellwood Mesa and the Coronado Butterfly Preserve are thankful that, as Santa Barbara continues to develop and change, this spectacular site will stay the same.
Yet the ones who are perhaps the most thankful for the past and continued effort to save this pristine piece of coastline are the small species who count on the preserve for their very survival. Although these specific butterflies will never see the grove again, they are grateful, just like the citizens of Santa Barbara, that the preserve will be protected for generations to come.