1.  Seahorses change colors. Thier ability to camoflage themselves is even better than a chameleon.

2. The female can lay about 200 eggs, and the father is the one who carries them until they hatch. Which, is only two to three weeks later.

3. In Asia seahorses are used as medicine (believed to cure many things from asthma to impotence) and aphrodesiacs.

4.  The jaws of a seahorse are fused. To eat they suck live prey through their long snout. Having no teeth, their food gets swallowed whole.  

We were certainly mesmorized at the varieties of sea horses at the Aquarium, some no bigger than a grain of rice.  You could see plenty close-up, and what you couldn’t see was shown on video screens, like the beautiful dance they do when they mate. But toward the back of the exhibit I saw something that I have to admit, may be even more magical than the seahorse…

A sea dragon! Can you spot him? To watch these swim around was fascinating.  Quite clever that Mother Nature. If you get the chance, this is definately worth checking out.

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The first place I think of for butterfly spotting is the Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary in Pacific Grove, California. I had plans to visit my friend who lives near there, and go with her and her two kids who, remarkably, had never seen this phenomenon even though they live so close. We arrived at what turned out to be a small grove of trees, with hardly any butterflies in sight. A docent remarked that since it was cold the previous night, many of the butterflies were hiding on the sunny side of the trees, which was not where we were standing.  The path was short and nothing like I had remembered from the visit of my past. We did, however, find a family of deer resting among the trees, so at least the trip wasn’t completely void of interesting creatures.

Perhaps, I thought, I had visited the Natural Bridges Preserve in Santa Cruz. Determined not to lose the opportunity of seeing flocking monarchs, I took the kids to Santa Cruz a few days later to see these darned enchanting butterflies. Here was the location I remembered from my past. There were certainly more here than the few we saw in Pacific Grove, but it hardly met the impression I had in my mind. Natural Bridges bosts home to over 100,000 monarchs at its height of the migration.

In my butterfly search, I have learned quite a lot about these monarchs. For example, it will take 1,800 miles and four generations before they return to where they started. The first generation begins their migration in wintering locations along the California coastal areas as well as Mexico. There, they cluster in eucalyptus groves along the coast, mating in late January and leaving for spring migration by March. The monarchs lay their eggs inland on milkweed plants in the Sierra Nevada foothills and then die. The second generation hatches and flies across the mountains into Oregon, Nevada or Arizona. Third and fourth Monarch butterfly generations fan out even further and then they return to California coast, to the place where their great great grandparents started. How in the world they find the same place is still a mystery.

There is concern for this incredible migration. Forests in Mexico where the monarchs winter are being cut down. The milkweed on which they feast and lay their eggs are often removed (as it is a weed) or pesticides used on the plant poison the butterfly. I am hopeful that we merely did not come late enough in the season to see all of these incredible butterflies flock in the trees rather than that their numbers are rapidly declining. The visitor’s center at Natural Bridges does a great job of educating visitors (and school groups). Also near the visitor’s center is a fenced in patch of milkweed where visitor’s can see the caterpillers or chrysalis close up. Conservation groups such as www.monarchwatch.org are working hard to preserve and educate as well.

If visiting Pacific Grove or Santa Cruz is not in your plans, here are some other locations where butterfly wintering can be seen:

The lead picture is credited to Gene Neiminen, USFWS

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HOTELS:  Andril Cottages is a great place located both near the beach and also offers grassy areas onsite to run around and kick a ball.  Also the Howard Johnson’s in Pacific Grove offers decent suite rooms (read: one room for kids, one for adults) at a reasonable price.

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* Rent a paddle boat at Lake El Estero, next to the park. Rentals are by the half-hour or by the hour. You can chase ducks if your legs are quick enough, or simply mosey around a small island in the middle of the lake. You may find some folks fishing from the lake, as it is stocked. Its also a nice place if you are a bird watcher. There is a skateboard park nearby and around the lake are exercise stations.

Restaurants immediately close to the park are McDonalds and a liquor / wine store that has a deli inside. If you are looking to picnic at the park, these may be your best bet. Sit-down restaurants can be found at the wharf nearby.

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* Take in the views using pedal power  At Bay Bikes  (585 Cannery Row, 3 blocks from the aquarium) you can rent mountain bikes or get the whole family into a surrey. If you have young ones too little to pedal, they sit nicely in a seat (holds two passengers) at the very front of the bike.  The large surreys can fit up to six adults. The path that the surreys are allowed to take is not all that long, but its quite scenic and takes about an hour.

* Take a kayak trip. Monterey is definately the place to experience the sea and all it has to offer. The sheltered nature of this area makes kayaking a calm and family friendly adventure. One place right on cannery row is Adventures by the Sea. (299 Cannery Row. They also rent bicycles and surreys.)

* After expending a fair amount of energy, time to refuel. A great restaurant on Cannery Row is Willy’s Smokehouse BBQ and Grill. (96 Prescott, on the corner of Wave and Prescott) They have balloons and cowboy themed kids menus with crayons on the table for kids to color. Its a large space with big windows.

* The afternoon is a good time to enter into the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The crowds are generally leaving by this point. The average visit is  three hours. The cafe on the first floor is also a convenient place to grab food either at the beginning or end of the visit. It offers a buffet with quite a variety of foods to meet most finicky eater’s needs.

* To end your ocean experience, take in a 3D movie on sharks or sea creatures at the cannery row Imax Theatre (640 Wave Street). Shows are about 45 minutes each and there are generally several to choose from.

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There is a rock-climbing wall (more of a tall bouldering wall, as there aren’t any ropes.)  A long suspension bridge is the centerpiece. There is a small maze made from hedges, and plenty of sand around the different play structures. The drawbacks are that there is little shade, and you may need to keep your kid(s) within viewing distance as there are some tempting things to climb that are made from or near some cement. Here are ome pictures of the park.

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This museum is all about hands on, and what could be greater for the younger crowd? There are so many sets to spark imaginative play and exploration, and even areas geared toward the three and under crowd.  They have a restaurant set, tree house, kid-sized house, a theatre stage where storytime sometimes takes place, and lots lots more!

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Monterey Bay Aquarium is a must see when in Monterey. There are things for kids of all ages and enough to keep anyone’s interest for hours at a time. Parking and directions are at here.

Watching humans interact with animals is fascinating, for kids and adults. I recommend going early to catch some of the feeding events. A favorite for us is the penguin feeding at 10:30 am at the Splash Zone (an area designed for younger kids). After playing a while there head over to the Kelp Forest where you can watch divers hand feeding the sharks.  The self service café has a fantastic variety of delicious food. The afternoon, when the attention span is sporadic, might be the best time to visit the tide-pool exhibit where you can touch some of the animals, or see the sea otters get fed at 3:30.

During the peak season the aquarium can get very crowded, so if you have kids between ages 3-9, consider going early to the Aquarium Detectives. On Thursdays one hour before the Aquarium opens, they have a program for the kids to get a more in depth look at the animals. Prior registration is necessary.  

Special Events: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/aquariumlibraryweb/ui/calendar/calendar.aspx

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