Thousands of monarch butterflies can now be seen in Ellwood Mesa in Goleta as the monarchs migrate to the area for the overwintering season from October through February.
Goleta officials have said that the best place to view the butterflies is at the Ellwood Main Butterfly Grove, the largest wintering site in Southern California.
The grove is open from sunrise to sunset with no admission fee, but the city of Goleta said it does accept donations to support the Monarch Butterfly Docent Program.
Free parking for the butterfly grove is available at the Ellwood Mesa Open Space and Sperling Preserve parking lot at 7729 Hollister Ave., across the street from Ellwood School.
A printable map is available here, with directions to the parking area, where a trail is available with butterfly trail markers guiding visitors to the grove.
The city’s website says that during the overwintering season, monarchs tend to stay in clusters in the mornings and on cool days, while they can be seen flying and “puddling” in and around the grove in the afternoons and on warm days.
Biological consultants in Goleta count monarch butterflies at Ellwood Mesa biweekly during the overwintering season. These results are available on the city’s website here.
According to the most recent count on Nov. 14, there were 10,920 monarch butterflies counted throughout all Ellwood sites, and 3,437 were counted in the main grove.
Maximum population counts during the overwintering seasons for past years were 15,055 in the 2021-22 season and 12,387 butterflies in the 2022-23 season.
The city’s monarch butterfly website shows the maximum count for this year’s season so far, which is 10,920, but more monarchs continue to arrive each day. The website adds that it expects the population to peak around the first week of December.
Monarch butterflies were first documented overwintering at Ellwood Mesa in the 1920s, with the population reaching its peak in the 1960s and 1970s.
Drought conditions have caused trees in the Ellwood Main Grove to fall, leading to some loss of habitat for the butterflies.
Loss of milkweed and increased predation from small mammals, birds, and wasps are also thought to be reasons for declining monarch population numbers.
In the 2019-20 season, 271 monarch butterflies were counted in all Ellwood sites, and only 10 monarchs were counted in the 2020-21 season.
The Ellwood Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan and implementation projects are in the works to rehabilitate and improve the habitat at the Ellwood Mesa Open Space.
The first phase of the implementation plan is estimated to begin in summer 2024.
“When the grove is healthy, this is an ideal microclimate for the monarchs,” said Craig Wakamiya, a Goleta resident and unofficial docent, who was providing information about the butterflies to visitors last week.
Wakamiya said he has been greeting visitors and telling them about the butterflies for over 20 years.
While the city’s official docent program is being revitalized, Wakamiya said that the program has not officially started up again yet, but the city is taking steps to get it started soon.
More information on the volunteer docent program is available by emailing Leonel Mendoza-Diaz, docent coordinator within Goleta’s Department of Neighborhood Services, at lmendoza-diaz@cityofgoleta.org
“These dedicated volunteer docents facilitate an enhanced visitor experience by providing information about butterfly biology to area visitors, local residents and school groups,” according to the city’s website.
Another opportunity to learn more about the monarch butterflies will take place from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Dec. 2, when Chris van der Heide, monarch butterfly expert and senior biologist with Althouse and Meade, will be meeting visitors and providing insight at the Ellwood Main Grove.
More information about this event is available here, and more information about the monarch butterflies visiting the Ellwood Mesa is available here.
