Natural Bridges State Park

Natural Bridges State Park is in Santa Cruz and offers two main attractions. There is its namesake the natural bridges and in this season there are also Monarch butterflies. There used to be three natural bridges, but now only one remains standing. Wind, wave and time have taken their toll. That plus they formed on mudstone, which doesn’t sound like the best of foundations. Those are Brown Pelicans on top of the bridge. It is just the beginning of the Monarch butterfly season, which won’t peak until about Thanksgiving. Plus the day was a little bit too warm for good viewing. You want a chill in the air, because then the butterflies congregate together on the branches of the eucalyptus trees that populate the ravine that the butterflies seem to like the best. Otherwise, all you can see are single butterflies fluttering by. Mid-fifties would be best and we were a good ten degrees warmer on that day.

Monarch Butterflies at Natural Bridges State Park