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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Amanda Ulrich in Pacific Grove

Monarch butterflies could disappear. Butterfly Town USA is scrambling to save them

people in orange reflective vests look up through binoculars
Volunteer ‘citizen scientists’ count monarch butterflies in Pacific Grove, California, in early December. Photograph: Amanda Ulrich

In the tiny seaside village of Pacific Grove, California, there’s no escaping the monarch butterfly.

Here, butterfly murals abound: one splashes across the side of a hotel, another adorns a school. As for local businesses, there’s the Monarch Pub, the Butterfly Grove Inn, even Monarch Knitting (a local yarn shop). And every fall, the small city hosts a butterfly parade, where local elementary school children dress up in butterfly costumes. The city’s municipal code even declares it an unlawful act to “molest or interfere” with monarchs in any way, with a possible fine of $1,000.

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