Monarch Grove

Monarch Butterfly Natural Preserve-A Welcoming Winter Home
The park's Monarch Grove provides a temporary home for up to 100,000 Monarchs. From late fall...
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Monarch Butterfly Natural Preserve-A Welcoming Winter Home
The park's Monarch Grove provides a temporary home for up to 100,000 Monarchs. From late fall into winter, the Monarchs form a "city in the trees." The area's mild seaside climate and eucalyptus grove provide a safe place for monarchs to roost until spring.

In the spring and summer, the butterflies live in the valley regions west of the Rocky Mountains where the monarch's companion plant, milkweed, is found. For most of the year, where there are monarchs, there are also milkweed plants. Monarchs drink nectar from milkweed flowers, and female monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed leaves. Milkweed contains a toxin that, when ingested by the caterpillar, makes it toxic to other animals. These toxins remain in the butterfly as well, providing protection from predators that would otherwise eat the monarchs.
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