Douglas-Michel Butterflyplants, a home based nursery, is located just outside of the small town of Aromas, California, which located 6 miles east of Watsonville, California. We are in Sunset zone number 16, with warm winters, hot and dry summers and strong after noon winds coming from the Pacific Ocean, 10 miles to the west. We are fortunate to be located almost equidistant from two prominent monarch over wintering sites on the Pacific coast. 25 miles northwest is Santa Cruz, California, with the over wintering site, Natural Bridges State Park. To our southwest is Pacific Grove, "Butterfly Town, USA", 33 miles away. Located there is the over wintering site called the Monarch Sanctuary.
During the fall migration the monarchs have been visiting at our place, which is Waystation number, #244 for over 7 years. Because we have over 2,000 milkweed plants in the ground it is getting to look like a "Monarch Bed and Breakfast" with monarchs hanging around, refreshing themselves before continuing their journey.
These links are provided to help you learn more about Monarch butterflies, butterfly gardening and how to provide milkweed plants for the Monarch butterfly.
PROVISO: Many of the sites referenced here on this links page are site-specific to the Mid-West and the Eastern part of the United States. This is due largely to the much larger monarch populations east of the Rockies, and the fact that the monarch community of devotees, scientists, citizen-scientists and organizations in those parts of the country are long lived, well organized and very active. Care needs to be taken, to apply the information provided to our western regions and our localized situations. In the meantime, Douglas-Michel Butterflyplants is actively working with organizations and people devoted to promulgating the study of the "Western Monarch" and promoting the welfare of the monarchs west of the Rockies. At the same time, Douglas-Michel Butterflyplants, seeks participation with monarch projects and individuals on the Eastern and Midwestern sectors of the U.S as well as those in Mexico and Canada who support the welfare of the Monarch Butterfly.
