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Monarch Butterflies at the Sperling Preserve
One of our areas most magical events happens each year at the Sperling Preserve at Ellwood Mesa. Thousands of Monarch butterflies have traveled up to 3,000 miles to their winter home in the Coronado Butterfly Preserve Eucalyptus Grove.
Monarch Facts
Unlike most other insects, Monarch butterflies cannot survive a long, cold winter, so they migrate south and spend the winter in warm roosting spots. The usual lifespan of a monarch butterfly is about two months, but members of this migrating generation survive about nine months because their metabolism slows down during hibernation. When they arrive at their winter destinations, they always gather in the same places, sometimes even the same trees. No one knows why. When spring arrives, they mate. The males die, but the females begin flying north, laying eggs on milkweed plants along the way. When the Monarch caterpillars change into butterflies, they continue the northward flight. Once the butterflies reach their summer destination, they lay their final eggs and die. About five more generations live and die before the temperatures start to drop and the southward flight begins again.
Want More Info? Ask a Docent!
The City of Goleta’s Monarch Butterfly Docent Program trains volunteers to provide information to the public on weekends during peak butterfly viewing periods from December through February. Visit the Coronado Preserve to meet the docents who can answer any questions you have. Group presentations during the week can also be arranged by calling City Hall at 805.961.7544.
Directions to the Coronado Butterfly Preserve
From Highway 101, exit Storke Rd/Glen Annie and head south (away from mountains). Turn right on Hollister Avenue, drive about 1.2 miles and take a left on Coronado Drive. Entrance to the Preserve is at the end of Coronado Drive.
Source: The Monarch Press, The City of Goleta, Winter 2009.
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