Coronado Butterfly Preserve

Ellwood Main Monarch Grove or Coronado Butterfly Preserve is a natural habitat protected by Goleta, California. The preserve offers a home to many butterfly species due to the sage scrub, eucalyptus groves, and water. Birds and other wildlife tend to come into the preserve to live and remain protected. There are 9.3 acres as part of the preserve, which includes woodlands, meadows, and Devereux Creek. Visitors can enjoy the trails, outdoor picnic area, and classroom sessions when they come to Coronado Butterfly Preserve.

The preserve is open space with a number of coastal resources important to ecological study. The trails in the area link Ellwood Main Monarch Grove, Ellwood Shores coastal Bluffs, Devereux Slough, Santa Barbara Shores County Park, and the beach. The preserve sees roughly 1,000 visitors per weekend during butterfly season.

The land has been protected since 1998 when the state was given $600,000 to protect the natural habitats and butterflies. Since then volunteers and park workers have planted 1,000 native plants and removed weeds to help improve the ecosystem. They installed log seating and trails to help keep visitors off the sensitive grounds. Some irrigation was also added to help the plants grow and attract butterflies.