Science in the House – Butterflies and Birds

Actually, it was science outside the house this week. Have you ever wondered where your butterflies go when winter comes? Well, monarch butterflies migrate to California coast and nest in eucalyptus groves. We planned to visit Monarch Butterfly Preserve for a while, and finally made it this long weekend. It’s hard to see on this picture, but there is actually a butterfly sitting  on the branch among the leaves. Unfortunately, we were too late. Apparently butterflies leave us sometime between February and March and migrate back east. We only saw a few stragglers. Anna was disappointed at first but enjoyed the hike in eucalyptus grove very much. She got to climb fallen trees, peel the bark off eucalyptus trees and smell their leaves. This time of the year is  beautiful here – the flowers and trees are blossoming, new grass is everywhere, as the nature welcomes spring. And the trip would be incomplete without a short stop at the beach that is also part of Natural Bridges State Park. The waves were spectacular, and some surfers were braving them despite “danger” signs. Anna was really excited about seeing the ocean so close, especially after our sailing trip the day before.  She was also excited to see ocean inhabitants up close. We saw seals during our sailing trip and we could observe pelicans and seagulls sitting peacefully on the rocks. It’s one of the great advantages of living so close to so many natural wonders – she gets to experience them up close at such an early age and learn by seeing, hearing, smelling and touching nature, not just by reading about it.

For more science and nature, visit Science Sunday at Adventures in Mommydom.