Camera Critters
Be sure to click on images to enlarge for greater detail.
Pismo Beach, California hosts the largest Monarch Butterfly Colony in the U.S. We walked around this grove yesterday and were amazed by the numbers of butterflies bunched in clusters on mostly the Eucalyptus trees. The greatest numbers will be in the grove by mid-December and into January. They will leave to fly north by late February. Monarchs from eastern Canada and U.S. never cross the Rocky Mountains and will fly to groves near Mexico City for the winter.
The last photo shows that some get quite beat up in their journey.
Click on the sign to see the numbers over the years. They vary according to how much rain the area receives. They depend on milkweed. If milkweed doesn't flourish then the butterflies can't survive.
This is something I have wanted to see for so long! I could have watched them for hours. They became more active as the sun got brighter in the morning. What a beautiful sight it is...
13 comments:
This would be so neat to see in person! You always post the neatest pictures!
Wowowee! That's too much monarchs, I have seen. I'd love to touch them! You had a lovely trip by your photos!
Looking at the first two butterfly photos I thought that was done by Multiple Exposure technique. Quite amazed to know it's actually a bunch of butterflies. They all look so similar....
I have an invitation for you to join the World Photo Bloggers
whoa! that's a lot! amazing!
great series of pictures. i love butterflies and they are a great subject for photography.
What a unique place in the world. Thanks for sharing this lovely series of photos and information.
I love butterflies too but I was never able to make at least one decent capture of them.
Awesome, that would be a great place to visit and a photographers paradise. They are beautiful.
Carolyn: That is amazing, I'm so happy to see one butterfly stop by and you are able to get all these. Really neat captures.
That's IT! I'm MOVING to California! LOL! This is AMAZING! Thank you for the beautiful images! I just LOVE monarchs!
Wow, I'd love to see that sight. I had no idea so many monarchs wintered in California.
I have longed to see a sight like this! I'm so glad you shared!! Beautiful!
Amazing!
What a wonderful experience that must have been.
I was surprised to see a great number of butterflies bunched in clusters. I just can't believe such a scence. Thank you for sharing these pictures with me.
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