Warm-ups welcome monarchs

Our unseasonably warm weather is stirring monarch butterflies from their overwintering slumber.

You may have seen these stained-glass beauties floating though neighborhood gardens and along landscaped medians, looking for the colorful, nectar-filled flowers dotting La Jolla’s arid Mediterranean landscape.

From August to October, La Jolla’s kaleidoscope of overwintering western monarch butterflies migrates from their breeding grounds west of the Rocky Mountains to the mild temperatures of the California coast. Gathering in large motionless clusters in the forested groves of cypress, eucalyptus and pine stretching from Mendocino to San Diego, western monarch butterflies enter a state of diapause, or semi-hibernation, to conserve the energy needed to survive winter. 

The majestic Torrey Pines gripping the sandstone bluffs of La Jolla’s Torrey Pines Natural State Reserve protect the butterflies from winter’s rainstorms, wind and chilly temperatures, while providing the dappled sunlight that helps them conserve energy. The warmth of sunny winter days can awaken the butterflies, prompting them to leave their clusters in search of nectar or water.

Winter warmups also can hasten the births of monarch butterflies who transitioned from caterpillars to chrysalises in the early autumn months. Last week, my husband discovered a winter birthday beauty scurrying about our garden; her bent wings prevented her from taking flight.

As we’ve done countless times in the past, we brought the butterfly into our home. Warm and cozy, safe from predators and feeding from a syringe of sugar water, Olive is thriving!

Whether she lives another week or a month or two – I once handfed Dulcie, a mid-summer monarch butterfly, for 73 days – Olive is an enchanting addition to our family.

The western monarch butterfly population has declined by more than 95% since the 1980s.  Learn how you can help these iconic ambassadors of hope survive and thrive.