The Butterfly Grove, Oceano

Date: October 12th, 2011
Nature Tourism

Welcome sign for visitors and the butterflies
Picture taken by: Lindsey Serna

Picture taken by: Lindsey Serna

From November to February the monarch butterflies take flight from Mexico and make their destination the eucalyptus trees of Pismo for the winter months. Along with the butterflies come the mass amounts of visitors young and old. As I walked up to the entrance it took me back to the times I came here with my grandparents to explore this great wonder. I recall being little staring at the skies with my eyes fixated on why these beautiful creatures decided to come here. As I walked through the trail I snapped pictures left and right. As I did this, children I did not even know asked to see the pictures that I had captured.

Picture taken by: Lindsey Serna

It seemed as though we were all no longer strangers but fans of the butterflies and friends. This destination holds a sense of innocence and a flashback to a time when all it took was a butterfly to cross our path to make us smile. I believe what motivates people to come here to the butterfly grove is to appreciate nature and the beauty that it holds. People of all ages and stages of life congregates here to embrace the innocence and share the memories with their friends and families. Impacts that this grove has on the surrounding area include foot traffic, car traffic and pollution due to the mass amounts of visitors that make this part of their central coast vacation. Positive impacts can include economically spending more money in the local area with hotels and restaurants. As for environment impacts, the grove and the guides who work there provide an awareness of these creatures and how locally we can do our part to protect them.

Clusters of butterflies
Pictures taken by: Lindsey Serna