Pismo State Beach Butterfly Grove

Where are the buttrerflies? Let me start you with images around the Butterfly Grove.

Oceano Sand Dunes

The scenery above may look a barren desert, where the vast sand may deceive you that this place is as hot as it can be. But is this place in the desert? Is this place hot? The picture below may probably answer the two questions.

Is He Running Away From My Lens? haha!

Though I have shared several posts here about some desert even coated with snow and ice, but oftentimes, the appearance of sand and red rocks give an impression that it is hot. Behind the barrenness above, are pieces of nature's puzzle that if you put together, you will realize that there is only ONE who created all these artistry that no man can equal. HE put all these together for everything serves a GREAT purpose.

Are We In The Desert? Nature's Cruves @ Oceano Dunes

The massive sand dune system above, the second largest sand dune system in California, is the location of the 1923 movie, "The Ten Commandments". Even though the above sand dune may be composed of moving sands that are deprived of nutrients, yet, it is home to a variety of flora and fauna. Around it, is a refuge for wildlife.

 Oso Flaco Lake, next to this sand dune

Around the sand dunes are a diverse variety of birds, and the sand dune itself is the refuge for the endangered snowy plover. Oceano Sand Dunes, which I featured in my previous post, is actually adjacent to two bodies of water, the ocean and the lake. 

 Birds' Haven @ Oceano Sand Dunes

The beach, the lake and the sand dunes here are lined by trees that provide a safe shelter to another group of wildlife, the monarch butterflies.

 Grove of Monarch Butterflies (can you count how many butterflies are there in the picture above? )

The grove of butterflies in the above picture is actually in very close proximity to Oceano Sand Dunes. The area is not only popular for the sand dune ATV riders, 

ATVs at Oceano Dunes (sometimes referred to as Pismo State Beach Sand Dunes )

but also for bird watchers and for monarch butterflies.

@ the Butterfly Grove, Pismo State Beach

The Pismo beach butterfly grove is one of the largest butterfly groves in the United States. The monarch butterflies that live East of the Rockies migrate to Mexico in the winter. Whereas, the monarch butterflies that live west of the Rockies migrate to the coast of Central California and Southern California.  

 The butterflies are not only found on eucalyptus trees but also on cypress trees, in fact, they find shelter in any tree that would protect them from the strong frigid wind.

 Up close picture, butterfly on Eucalyptus

 Butterfly on Cypress Tree

Seeing and experiencing the butterfly migration was probably my favorite experience during our thanksgiving week vacation at Big Sur. It has always been in my wish list to see a lot of butterflies, I was blessed not only with a dozen, not only with a hundred, not only with a thousand, but tens of thousands of butterflies at the Pismo State Beach Butterfly Grove.

♥♥