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Each October, amidst local celebrations which include a "Butterfly
Parade," swarms of Monarch
butterflies arrive in Pacific Grove--the end of a long
trek from the Canadian Rockies and southern Alaska. Migrating
here to escape the rigors of the northern winters, succeeding
generations often return to the same eucalyptus trees year after
year. |
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The butterflies attach themselves to the leaves in huge clusters,
but are difficult to see during a chill or in damp weather, when
they fold part of their wings and appear like clumps of dead
leaves. Optimal viewing for activity is between 10 a.m. and 2
p.m. on a sunny day. In March, the butterflies once more take
wing. They return north, where the females lay their eggs, and
die.
There is a local ordinance which prohibits the molestation
of these creatures, and anyone caught in the act is liable to
a $1,000 fine and/or jail time. |
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Steinbeck heralds the strange phenomenon
of the returning monarch butterflies and parodies the festivities
honoring them : |
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"Pacific Grove benefits by one of those
happy accidents of nature that gladden the heart, excite the
imagination, and instruct the young. On a certain day in the
shouting springtime great clouds of orangy Monarch butterflies,
like twinkling aery fields of flowers, sail high in the air on
a majestic pilgrimage across Monterey Bay and land in the outskirts
of Pacific Grove in the pine woods." (Sweet Thursday,
Chapter 38). |
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See Don Bain's fullscreen 360-degree panorama photograph of the
grounds
adjacent to the Monarch Sanctuary (Quicktime required) |
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Turn around on Ridge Road and go back to Lighthouse Avenue.
Turn right and go straight back into town. On your left, you
will see . . .
THE PACIFIC
GROVE POST OFFICE |
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