Monarch Butterflies and Daffodils in January
WINTER BUTTERFLIES
IN BOLINAS
BY
MARY D. BARBER
PUBLISHED BY
PAUL ELDER & COMPANY
SAN FRANCISCO
Copyright, 1918 by
MARY D. BARBER
The Monarch ButterflyAnosia Plexippus is a familiarobject in many parts of4the United States, but the factthat it migrates, covering inits flights hundreds and eventhousands of miles, is notgenerally known. This butterflyappears in immenseswarms every year early inSeptember at Bolinas, a shelteredhaven on the coast ofCalifornia, about ten milesnorth of the Golden Gate.
A southerly beach walledby high bluffs, a quaint littlevillage which consists of trimcottages set in pretty, old-fashioned5gardens; wide stretchesof sunny mesa, brokenhere and there by arroyosand groves of cypress trees,make up a picturesque landscape;while to the south andwestward rolls the vast Pacific,the ceaseless surging of itssurf on the smooth sand anever-ending delight to theear. This is the winter homeof the Monarch butterflywhich comes not only fromthe Sierra Nevada mountainsbut also from the western6ranges of the Rockies.
On the meadows of thesemountains a pale green caterpillar,ornamented with glossyblack bands, feeds on theleaves of the milkweed plant.This caterpillar forms a chrysalisabout an inch long, greenspotted with gold. The Monarchbutterfly emerges fromthis chrysalis, unfurls itswings, draws its sustenancefrom the milkweed blossoms,lays its eggs and lives happilyin the high altitudes till the7chill of approaching autumnin the air warns it that thetime for migrating has come.Thousands of these frail butterfliesstart on their longjourney toward the Pacific,in search of a mild climate,free from frost and snow,in which they can live allwinter.
Fly brown butterflies out to sea,
Frail pale wings for the winds to try;
Small brown wings that we scarce can see
Fly.
Here and there may a chance caught eye
Note, in a score of you, twain or three
Brighter or darker of tinge or dye;
Some fly light as a laugh of glee,
Some fly soft as a long, low sigh;
All to the haven where each would be—
Fly.
In Nevada County greatflocks of them have been seen,following the course of astream downwards from themountains t