The Monarch Butterflies of Pacific Grove

THE MONARCH BUTTERFLIES OF PACIFIC GROVE
Every fall, thousands of monarch butterflies appear at the Monarch Grove Sanctuary. They look like brown leaves on the trees in the grove, until they begin to spread their wings and flutter in and out of the tree branches when the sun comes out. The Monarch Grove Sanctuary is studded with Monterey pines and eucalyptus trees, and the temperature remains moderate all winter, giving the butterflies reason to return year after year. We look forward to their return, as we look forward to the return of many of our loyal customers to Monterey Bay Property Management, who elect to, like the butterflies, spend the winter in a temperate climate. If you are thinking that the Monterey Peninsula would be a great place to spend the winter, you would be thinking correctly! And just as we are honored each year to host the Monarch butterflies as our guests, we are honored to have you. Bring nothing but your clothes and your groceries to a fully-furnished and equipped vacation rental home where you can not only enjoy the return of the Monarchs, but all the beauty of “the most felicitous meeting of land and sea in creation (Robert Louis Stevenson).”
WHERE TO SEE THE BUTTERFLIES
From mid-October to mid-February, you can see clusters of monarch butterflies at the Monarch Grove Sanctuary at 1073 Lighthouse Avenue. The entrance is just off Lighthouse Avenue, and the park is open from sunrise to sundown. Best of all, it is free! The best time to see the butterflies is between noon to 3:00 p.m., as that is the time when the sun is shining brightly on the trees. You should find that a docent is always on duty when the park is open.
Should you arrive on the Monterey Peninsula in early October, you can be a part of Pacific Grove’s celebration of the monarchs’ arrival. The Butterfly Parade, featuring local school children dressed in butterfly wings.