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Monarch Butterflies in Ellwood - Santa Barbara County
Susan Helene Kramer
If you have a chance to visit
the south coast of California during November to February, celebrate the
monarch butterflies in residence. They are at the Ellwood Monarch Butterfly
Grove and Preserve on Coronado Drive in Goleta.
My husband took this photo of
the clusters of monarchs hanging off the eucalyptus trees on a visit with our
family on my birthday at the end of December. As you can see the monarchs were
enjoying their over-wintering at this time.
The preserve is open to the
public during hours of sunlight and is free of charge, but will accept
donations via an on-site donation box. The preserve is very near the Pacific
Ocean. In fact, if you walk up the little hill from Coronado Drive and down
into the gully you’ll be immersed in monarchs.
Walk up another hill out of
the trees toward the ocean, then across a broad expanse of flat land riddled
with ditches, and you’ll be on a cliff top overlooking the Pacific. If you have
a toddler along, wear a pack that will hold the child, as some of the terrain
between the butterflies and the ocean is rough or rutted.
Looking out over the ocean,
the view from the top of the cliff is breathtaking - on a clear day you can
view the Channel Islands. Santa Cruz Island is 25 miles off the mainland coast.
The Channel Islands help create the mini-climate of the south coast.
This stretch of beach is
called the south coast because it runs west to east, facing south, turning from
west-facing at Pt. Conception near Vandenberg Air Force Base. By the time you
drive south to Los Angeles the coast is again west-facing.
To reach the grove, if you’re
driving on Rt. 101 from Santa Barbara, take the Storke
Road exit toward the ocean to where it crosses Hollister Avenue at the corner
of Camino Real Shopping Center. Bear right onto Hollister Avenue, drive past
the shopping center, and just past the 7-11 convenience store on the left, take
the left hand turn onto Coronado Drive - which is also the entrance to Santa Barbara Shores sub-division.
Go straight down the incline
to the end of Coronado Drive and park. You are facing the direction of the
ocean. The path up the sand hill to your right is the entrance to the monarch
butterfly preserve. On your hike enjoy the smells of eucalyptus and the sights
of the monarchs - you’ll never forget this little enchanted forest.
Rand
McNally Road Atlas for driving routes in California and the United States,
Canada and Mexico
Article by Susan Helene
Kramer; photo credit in the Ellwood Monarch Butterfly Preserve by Stan Schaap
Copyright 2012-2015 Susan Helene Kramer
Santa Barbara, California USA
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Published by Creations in Consciousness
email susan@susankramer.com
web site http://www.susankramer.com