Monarch Butterfly

At the time of their arrival, monarchs cluster in numerous locations throughout the Monterey Bay coast. As the weather gets colder and rainy, monarchs leave these less protected locations in search of areas offering more shelter from the winter weather. For this reason, by December most butterflies in Santa Cruz County will have congregated in only a few select locations, like the eucalyptus groves at Natural Bridges State Beach.

Monarch butterflies are present in large numbers in the summer and fall at Natural Bridges, and their population continues to grow into the winter months.