Western Monarch Day Feb 5, 2024

Western Monarch Day

Western Monarch Day celebrates a stunning natural phenomenon, the annual migration of thousands of flame-colored butterflies to California. Traveling south to escape the winter weather, they use air currents to help them make journeys of hundreds of miles. They descend to gather in large numbers on eucalyptus trees, like the ones pictured on our homepage today in Goleta, Santa Barbara County. Those gathered to see clusters of butterflies in 100-foot-tall trees might confuse them for clumps of leaves at first. However, as the sun"s rays gently fall upon them, their wings will begin to flutter. Bring your binoculars and take the opportunity to witness these winged wonders huddled together. It"s truly a sight to behold!

© Craig Rademacher/500px/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Feb 5, 2018Iceberg off the coast of Antarctica
Feb 5, 2019Welcome to the Year of the Pig
Feb 5, 2020Frozen beauty
Feb 5, 2021A sea of swirling stone
Feb 5, 2022Monarch butterflies in Angangueo, Mexico
Feb 5, 2023Monarch butterflies, Pismo Beach, California
Feb 5, 2025Scottish Blackface sheep, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jul 18, 2022Marine Day in Japan
Apr 12, 2020Who created the Easter Bunny?
Sep 23, 2019Stepping into autumn
Nov 26, 2019Staring down winter
Jun 27, 2024Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence
Sep 21, 2020A gentle wind fills this sail
Apr 18, 2023International Day for Monuments and Sites
Nov 29, 2020New Zealand s loneliest mountain
Jul 14, 2025Shark Awareness Day
Oct 5, 2022World Teachers Day
Jan 4, 2021Sparkling ice diamonds on a black sandy beach
Apr 29, 2018National Park Week: Olympic National Park, Washington
Feb 5, 2024Western Monarch Day
Mar 30, 2021Best fronds forever
Feb 27, 2023International Polar Bear Day
May 26, 2023Wat Sri Sawai in Sukhothai Historical Park, Thailand
May 20, 2024World Bee Day
May 24, 2025European Day of Parks
Oct 22, 2022Guilin and Lijiang River National Park, China
Nov 9, 2022European hedgehog in Sussex, England
Mar 19, 2019The smoke before the bonfire
May 31, 2021Here we honor the women who ve served
Jan 30, 2024Aýna, Albacete, Spain
Nov 12, 2018Honoring those who served
Jun 3, 2022World Bicycle Day
Dec 17, 2022Mountain goats at Glacier National Park in Montana
Apr 9, 2024Skagit Valley Tulip Festival
May 20, 2021Happy Bee Day to you
May 17, 2018Celebrating Norwegian Constitution Day
Feb 28, 2020Looking down on the Otter