Monarch butterfly conservation in California facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

California works hard to protect its western monarch butterflies. These beautiful insects need special places to live and migrate. They have different needs than monarch butterflies found in the eastern U.S. Western monarchs need specific weather conditions to survive the winter. They are very sensitive to changes in their homes.

Monarchs gather in large groups at their winter homes along the coast. Many of these spots are in the "coastal zone," which is an area about 1,000 yards (914 meters) inland from the high tide line. California has over 450 known wintering sites for monarchs.

Protecting Monarch Homes
Winter Homes for Monarchs
Monarch Population Status
See also

Protecting Monarch Homes

People who work to protect nature are called conservationists. They help by finding trees that monarchs use for roosting (resting in groups). They suggest that these roosting areas should be protected from damage. They also recommend checking the environmental impact before building near these sites.

It is important to stop removing trees near monarch habitats. Experts should be the ones to care for these trees. Conservationists also suggest that it should be against the law to remove trees, small plants, and other greenery near roosting spots. Planting new trees is also important. Controlling soil erosion helps keep the habitat healthy. They also suggest not building wood-burning fireplaces near monarch roosts.

Experts have also talked about how to manage eucalyptus trees. Monarchs use many different kinds of trees for winter roosts, including eucalyptus. Some groups suggest leaving eucalyptus trees alone if monarchs are using them.

Ideas for Helping Monarchs

In 2012, a group called the International Environmental Law Project suggested some ways to help monarchs:

Change California's wildlife rules to protect monarch butterflies.
Add the monarch butterfly to California's endangered species list.
Make sure coastal laws specifically protect monarch wintering sites.
Work with other countries to protect monarchs across North America.
Limit activities like logging and tourism at wintering sites.
Plant lots of milkweed and nectar plants. Many people and groups are already doing this to give monarchs food and places to lay eggs.
Do studies where regular people (citizen-scientists) help by watching and tagging migrating monarchs.
Ask lawmakers, companies, and government groups to protect monarch homes.
Keep buying land specifically to protect monarchs.

Restoring Monarch Homes

The Monarch Watch program helps people plant native milkweed plants. These plants help monarch caterpillars grow. These "waystations" also provide nectar plants for adult monarchs to eat.

Caring for Trees

Most places do not have specific laws about removing or changing trees in monarch wintering sites. However, in Capitola and Goleta, you need a permit to change trees. Studies are still looking into how useful eucalyptus trees are for monarchs. Large gaps in the tree cover at wintering sites in California can make them less suitable for monarchs.

Winter Homes for Monarchs

Many monarch wintering sites are outside the coastal zone. California has documented over 450 wintering sites since the 1980s.

California State Parks and Lands

A monarch butterfly resting on a fennel plant at the Pismo Butterfly Grove, California.

Monarchs are protected from building and tourism in California's 270 state parks. Park rules stop visitors from bothering, harming, feeding, touching, or trapping any animals or trees. Collecting, capturing, or killing animals, and destroying plants, are also not allowed.

Monarch wintering sites are found near beaches, universities, and other state lands. State parks do not have specific rules for caring for the trees where monarchs spend the winter. California historical sites do not have to create monarch protection plans.

Twenty state parks have monarch wintering groves:

Andrew Molera State Park: This park often has hundreds to thousands of monarchs. They roost in eucalyptus trees.
Doheny State Beach: This area has one small roost. It used to have many monarchs but has fewer since 1999. This park plans to improve the habitat for monarchs.
Gaviota State Park: Hundreds to thousands of monarchs roost in trees behind the park rangers' homes here.
Leo Carrillo State Park: This park supports hundreds to thousands of monarchs. Protecting monarchs is part of the park's main plan.
Lighthouse Field State Beach: This park once hosted as many as 70,000 monarchs in the late 1990s.
Montaña de Oro State Park: This park used to have three sites with thousands of monarchs. Some areas were damaged by fire.
Morro Bay State Park: This park has five monarch roosting sites. The golf course here supports many butterflies each year. The park's plan protects eucalyptus trees and groves.
Natural Bridges State Beach: This park has one of the largest monarch roosting sites in California. Some counts recorded 120,000 butterflies. This site consistently hosts thousands of monarchs in eucalyptus and Monterey pine trees. It is the only State Monarch Preserve in California. The park's main goal is to protect the monarch species.
New Brighton State Beach: This park has hosted monarchs since the 1970s. The park's plan encourages monarch colonies to grow.
Pismo State Beach: This park consistently hosts tens of thousands of monarchs, and their populations are considered healthy. The park's main plan focuses on improving the dunes and beaches.
Point Mugu State Park: This park has supported hundreds of thousands of monarchs since monitoring began.
San Onofre State Beach: This park in Orange County had only 15 overwintering monarchs in the latest count. There are no plans to restore the site.
San Simeon State Park: This park once had wintering sites, but they were lost due to a natural fire. The park's plan does not include restoring monarch wintering sites.
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve: The plan for this area is to bring back native plant species that were present before human activity changed the land.

Federal Lands

The homes of western monarch butterflies are protected from visitors and business activities on federal land. Collecting plants or animals, and damaging habitats, are not allowed. Federal lands do not have specific rules for caring for the trees where monarchs spend the winter.

Monarch winter roosts have been seen in places like Los Padres National Forest, Marin Headlands, and Point Reyes National Seashore. Lands managed by the military, like Vandenberg Air Force Base and Camp Pendleton, also host monarch wintering sites. However, protecting monarch habitat does not come before the military's land use needs.

Other Public Sites

The California Department of Fish and Game does not have the power to control collecting or habitat changes that affect monarchs. Local rules sometimes guide monarch conservation and building activities. Local rules often encourage removing non-native plants. This can conflict with protecting monarch wintering sites because monarchs often use non-native eucalyptus trees. Some local rules do control tree removal and cutting.

San Francisco Bay Area

Thousands of monarchs have historically roosted at Ardenwood Historic Farm in Fremont. County rules protect these roosts.

The East Bay Regional Park District teaches people about wintering butterflies. Their plan promises to "identify, evaluate, conserve, enhance, and restore rare, threatened, endangered, or locally important species of plants and animals and their habitats."

Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County has at least 44 monarch wintering roosts, mostly in public parks. The cities of Santa Monica, Long Beach, and Redondo Beach have small roosting sites.

Mendocino County

Mendocino County has the northernmost wintering roosts in the southern part of the county. However, monarchs are only there for a few weeks in winter. It is considered a temporary site.

Monterey County

Monterey County has roosts with thousands of butterflies.

Monarchs resting in a cluster at Monarch Grove Sanctuary in Pacific Grove, California.

Pacific Grove has two large wintering sites, including Monarch Grove Sanctuary. These sites are consistently full of monarchs. The city has passed rules specifically to protect monarchs and their trees. Tree removal and care are strictly regulated.

Orange County

Huntington Beach has four monarch wintering roosts in city parks. The roosts are small, but city rules protect them.

San Diego County

Chula Vista has only one roosting site with about 50 butterflies. City rules protect this site.

Monarch wintering roosts have been seen in San Diego since the 1920s. However, there are no rules in place to protect the monarchs from further habitat destruction.

Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara County has 132 wintering roosts. These can be found on state or federal land, and on public and private property.

Roosts in Carpinteria are near Carpinteria Creek and the Carpinteria business park. These roosts consistently have thousands to tens of thousands of monarchs. Carpinteria limits tree removal and requires that building be restricted near the trees.

Goleta's butterfly counts in recent years have shown tens of thousands of monarchs roosting there. A past fire destroyed one of the sites. Goleta's wintering sites are protected by strong rules.

Monarch Population Status

California's monarch population has dropped sharply. In the 1980s, there were 4.5 million monarchs. This number fell to about 200,000, and then even more in 2018, to nearly 30,000. By November 2020, the population was fewer than 2,000. This means a 99% drop in three decades.

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation has created a guide. It shows important areas in California for helping western monarchs recover. The guide suggests ways to restore monarch populations in five different zones within the state.