Monarchs, Butterfly Town, U.S.A., Pacific Grove, California is an inspiring collection of images and writings spanning decades of the physical interactions and emotional relationships of individuals-locally and throughout the world-with millions of monarch butterflies within the Sanctuary and its environs.
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Monarch butterflies arrive yearly to the Monarch Grove Sanctuary, 250 Ridge Road, and remain for a season spanning October to March. Images capture monarchs in the Sanctuary and around town: in flight, napping, sleeping, drinking nectar, resting, and mating. Visuals of the flora and fauna, land and under the sea, give an overview of the entire habitat they - and we - enjoy.
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Text from two sources weave throughout to support and enrich images and imaginations: "The Butterfly Trees," by Lucia Shepardson, published in 1914, recounts her 16 years observing the monarchs. She intimately acquaints us with these unique insects, and the publication of her book brought national and international acclaim to the little town of Pacific Grove.
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"The Miracle That is Pacific Grove," a booklet prepared for the first Butterfly Days Celebrations in 1939, presents a much different venue and program than we participate in today. What remains consistent is our joyous welcome for the monarchs as they arrive.
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Commentaries accompanying contributions lend a third element that underlies Pacific Grove's enduring love for the monarch: A very brief, personal encounter with a living entity that consistently arrives, to astound and epitomize the process and the rewards of a transformative/evolving nature that we, too, share with them. Enjoy!