A monarch butterfly soaks up morning sun Friday at Natural Bridges State Park. Welcome Back Monarchs Day takes place Sunday.

Fluttering in on cool, offshore breezes, the monarch butterflies are slowly beginning their annual return to Natural Bridges State Park.

On Sunday, the park will host the 28th annual Welcome Back Monarchs Day. The celebration kicks off the butterfly season, which lasts through February.

The much-anticipated return of the monarchs to their wintering grounds draws visitors from across the country. At its peak, butterflies cluster on the trees by the thousands, in places so thickly they appear to be dripping from the branches. The migration this year coincides with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Natural Bridges State Beach.

The monarchs arriving at Natural Bridges are just finishing a 3,000-mile journey that began in Michoacαn, Mexico. Some fly as far as Canada, but many use the Santa Cruz park for its tall stands of eucalyptus trees, which provide opportunities for sun, shade, food and protection from wind. They spend their winter in the park, and leave in February.

The shady eucalyptus grove, with a wooden boardwalk leading into its center, is a serene place where treetops obscure much of the sky and a gentle, mute light filters through the leaves. In butterfly season, hundreds flit from tree to tree.

“It kind of becomes a magic forest,” said Martha Nitzberg, lead interpretive naturalist for the park. “It’s just green with a few birds, and then there’s all this movement and motion.”

Scientists have noted a decline in monarch populations in recent years, likely due to drought conditions affecting milkweed plants, which the butterflies use as a food source, Nitzberg said. Additionally, development along migration routes has also led to the decline, she said.

As a result, residents are encouraged to plant monarch-friendly plants such as purple butterfly bushes, purple cosmos and pincushion flowers.

The problem, Nitzberg said, is that several smaller sites that were set up in the past for the butterflies are now being developed as fewer monarchs return to the sites. She stressed that it’s equally important to protect these sites as it is the larger ones like Natural Bridges.

“The more of these little green habitats we have, the better the butterflies and other animals can do as well,” she said.

Sunday’s event begins at 10 a.m. with a ceremonial tree-planting. At 1:30, Assemblyman John Laird will issue the park’s 75th year proclamation. A costume parade will take place at 2 p.m., and active kids’ games will be held at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. There will also be cake and “monarch” (pumpkin-flavored) ice cream. Several live bands will provide music throughout the day.

“We’ve been making up butterfly songs for 15 years,” Nitzberg joked.

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Welcome Back Monarchs Day is Oct. 12 at Natural Bridges State Beach, 2531 W. Cliff Drive. The festival is free, but there is a small parking fee.

For information, call 423-4609.

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*Photos by Tarmo Hannula*

(Published in 10/11/08 edition)

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