A visit to see the butterflies in Santa Cruz!

Hi guys! I'm gonna warn you - this is a long post with lots of photos! So grab some coffee and spend a little time with me and I'll tell you a cool story! Hope you had a great week. Happy Friday! I think everything is finally working right with my blog - so thank goodness for that! Wishing you a wonderful weekend this weekend! XO

My birthday was last week! My husband took the week off so we could go and do some things and it was a great week. We ended up taking a couple of day trip road trips around here which worked out great! I had a wonderful birthday week and ate some yummy pizza and got spoiled with flowers and a new glitter Christmas tree! I hate getting older, but I do love to be spoiled! 

One of our day trips last week was to Santa Cruz. We live about 2 hours or so Northeast of Santa Cruz, so it's an easy trip for us. I wanted to see the Monarch Butterflies that winter at the coast. They haven't been here in a few years because of the wildfires and they are returning in good numbers this year. So that was the purpose of our trip that day! HERE IS SOME INFORMATION about the Butterflies and the place we went. We have a yearly State Parks Pass so we love to explore new California Parks. The butterflies are at Natural Bridges State Beach! The Monarchs come here for the winter because it is just the right climate. It is amazing because they cluster in the tops of the trees! It was a magical thing to see! The butterfly area is a short walk from the ocean!

 

There is a small gift store and museum. There were a bunch of kids there that day on a field trip and it was very cute to see the kids marvel at the butterflies too.

 

 

The butterflies come to a grove of eucalyptus trees that are down in a canyon. So you have to walk down into the canyon to see them. It's so quiet and peaceful. And the smell of eaucalyptus trees is one of my favorite smells in the world. My family is from Monterey/Carmel area and my grandma's backyard was basically a forest of eaucalyptus trees. And when they are wet from the fog, the smell is intoxicating. It brings back all the good memories for me.

 

There is a really nice walkway to get down into the canyon. 

 

If you don't know what you're looking for, you could easily miss the giant butterfly clusters! They are way up in the trees and completely blend in with the leaves. When it's cold they all huddle together like this. When the sun hits them and they warm up - they all start flying! It's incredible!!

 

Just look at them!!!! 

 

 

 

It was a very foggy day for the most part. A few times the sun did peek through the fog and it was great to see the butterflies flying overhead!

 

More clusters - smaller ones, bigger ones - everywhere in the trees!

 

 

 

This little guy landed on the walkway right in front of me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We just stood there in awe of this cool phenomenon. So lucky to be able to see this in real life!!! Puts everything else in perspective - these fragile creatures sticking together to survive through the winter. I feel like we could learn some things....

 

 

 

We saw some beautiful flowers on our walk....

 

And this cutie wandered by....

 

 

 

We went down to the beach and enjoyed the view and the fresh air. It's a lovely beach and I think we will definitely come back when it's a bit warmer. This is a really nice State Park! We loved it. Natural Bridges State Beach.

 

 

We drove down through the main part of Santa Cruz and saw some sights. Visited the Surfing Museum, and this guy was surfing right outside of it! Brrrrr.

 

 

I was taking a photo of this pretty sailboat when a whale breached!! See the puff of water to the left of the boat in the photo? That was a whale!

 

And check out these best friends floating by enjoying some snacks! 

 

That building is the Surfing Museum. It's such a pretty spot - lots of benches and a great walking path too.

 

Here's my new house, right across the street from the ocean! (I wish!!)

 

 

That's a wrap on our trip! I hope you enjoyed sharing these things with me! I say, get out and explore! Wherever you live, find something new to do and see! You won't regret it! Have a wonderful weekend! XOXO

 

Comments

[Anne Sturgeon]

OMG I am so glad your blog is back up and working!! What an awesome trip you had. I love Monarch's and we have some milkweed on our property so it does draw them in when they are in the area. Loved Carmel area and we hope to make it back to California one of these trips. Thanks for these amazing pictures, I shared them with my husband, he was amazed also!

[KAREN]

OMG --- THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR TRIP AND INFO ABOUT THE MONARCHS. I ENJOYED IT SO MUCH. HERE IN OHIO I PLANT BUTTERFLY BUSHES SO I CAN GLIMPSE THE BEAUTY OF THEM FROM TIME TO TIME. THIS MADE MY DAY.

[Nancy Bogart]

Happy Birthday Wanda! I don’t like birthdays so much anymore! Thanks for taking us on that wonderful day trip! I so enjoyed learning about and seeing the Monarch’s. Such amazing and beautiful creatures. Your photography was awesome - another of your many talents!

[Mutzy Mia]

This was such a delightful post! Thanks for sharing your adventure with us. I found this so fascinating and your pictures are beautiful...I think that home would have made a wonderful birthday gift for you!

[Linda Meunier]

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED seeing these photos and learning about the butterflies! Thank you so much for sharing!

[Teresa C]

Delightful travelogue Wanda! And, I LOVE your new house!! :)

[Connie]

Thanks for sharing, Wanda!
Incredible little insects.
So amazing what they accomplish.

[Christine Dol]

Thank-you for sharing your trip with us! Sooooo now I know where our beautiful monarch's head to! We miss them when they leave! Your pictures are really so nice...so thank-you for sharing them with all of us! Hope your birthday was wonderful!

[Lynn Cyert]

Wanda, Happy Birthday! Thanks for the beautiful pics!

[pat phillips]

Thank you for sharing your pictures with us - how very interesting to see the monarch butterflies on the trees. Enjoyed all the photos and loved our flag at the end. Thank you again!

[Becky Green]

WONDERFUL PHOTOS, WANDA! WOW!!! LOVED EVERYONE! We COULD LEARN SOMETHING from the Monarch's! ;) I'm with you on the house! I tell my hubby, my mansion in heaven will be Victorian! LOL THANK YOU for sharing your trip with us! DO show us your Glitter Tree when the time comes???? ;)HOPE YOU TOO, have a WONDERFUL WEEKEND, DEAR FRIEND! HUGS!!! ;)<3

[Jules L]

Wanda, what a beautiful place to visit. That is such a treat to see the butterflies and as usual your photography really tells the story. Glad your birthday week was so fun!

[Jeanne]

What a glorious post. Thank you so much for sharing your butterfly trip. Magical is the word that comes to my mind. Thank you for your generosity in taking and sharing so many beautiful pictures. What a fantastic birthday gift and you've shared it with us!

[Amy Cooley]

It looks like such a fun outing! I love when you share all your beautiful photography.

[Michelle Michael]

This was a great blog post Wanda! It’s nice to take a break from posting just cards to share your other interests & the beauty of where you live. Really enjoyed this one. I think you’d be a nice friend to have! Thank you for your lovely pics of the beautiful monarchs!

[Birgit Norton]

Wow! What a blessing it would be to visit that area and see all those amazing monarch butterflies. Sounds like you had a wonderful week celebrating your special day. Happy belated birthday to you Wanda! I'm making it a point to not be a "lurker" on your blog anymore. You have many wonderful gifts and I thank you for sharing your gifts with your readers.

[AdrianeC]

Thank you for sharing your butterfly trip. It was so cool to see. I love butterflies and was glad to hear that they returned this year.