Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove

Every winter, the western monarchs return to the eucalyptus grove at Pismo State Beach — clustering on branches from October through February, wings overlapping like shingles to hold warmth against the cold. One of the largest overwintering colonies in the United States, the grove has lately told a harder story: counts that once ran into the tens of thousands have fallen to the hundreds. The population has declined by roughly 90 percent since the 1980s. Come anyway. What remains is still worth witnessing.