With its 3 inch wingspan, its paper-thin wings and a near zero weight, the monarch butterfly doesn't exactly strike one as a hardy creature. In addition to this, butterflies rarely seem to be able to fly higher than head-level and hardly ever more than a several feet in a straight line. Given all this, it is truly amazing to learn that, every winter, this little creature completes a 2000-plus mile migration from Canada and the United States down to Mexico.

One rest stop on that highway is Santa Cruz, California in the Natural Bridges State Park area. Each winter, between October and February, over a hundred thousand of these colorful little insects descend on Santa Cruz. The Monarch Butterfly Natural Preserve is the place to go see them.

Tens of thousands of them hang from the trees where they cluster together for warmth. As the sun rises and warms them up, the dew begin to dry and they fly around.

A handicapped-accessible walkway leads to an observation desk from where it is possible to see them at very close quarters. Lucky are the lizards that find this location!

Finding Monarch Butterfly Natural Preserve is easy. Look for directions to the adjoining Natural Bridges State Park and signs abound in the area. Remember though that this is a winter phenomenon. In addition to the photos below, here are several more of Natural Bridges State Park.