News Blog
Monarch Numbers Up at P.G. Sanctuary
November 7, 2011
The monarchs are back in Pacific Grove.
After several years of trouble at the P.G. Monarch Grove Sanctuary, Cal Poly's Monarch Alert reports a robust average of 7,409 butterflies at the overwintering site during the Nov. 3-4 count conducted by Monarch Alert Field Coordinator Erica Krygsman and volunteer Kelly Surgalski.
That's up from a fall 2010 "Thanksgiving Count" of almost 5,000 monarchs—but even that number was great news compared with a dismal low of less than 1,000 in 2009.
Monarch Alert reports on counts elsewhere in the county: "The average number of monarchs counted at Andrew Molera State Park was 3,197 and at the private property site in Big Sur was 6,658. The only other site with clusters found was the southernmost site, Plaskett Creek Campground."
The next counts are scheduled for Nov. 10-11.
Above, a video still by P.G. monarch advocate Bob Pacelli captures sunlit wings on a recent autumn day in the Sanctuary.
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