Malibu Bluffs Park
Pacific Coast Hwy and Malibu Canyon Road, Malibu; (310) 317-1364
Saturday and Sunday, April 3-4, 2010
10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Ages: All
Cost: FREE (and free parking)
Website
Wildflower Walks at 1:00pm each day. Wildflower Displays, Native Plants for Sale, Books, Posters and more. Presented by California Native Plant Society and the City of Malibu Parks & Recreation Department.
Temescal Canyon in Pacific Palisades
Check directions for location
Friday, March 19, 2010
6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Ages: 4-7 (everyone welcome)
Cost: $20 per child ($17 per child for members)
Website
Now that the sun sets later in the day, head out at dusk to explore the Temescal Canyon with the Children’s Nature Center Tykes on Trails Night Hike! Search for constellations, listen to the croaking of frogs in the creek, and discover the all the night life in Temescal Canyon. This walk is geared toward 4-7 year olds, but all are welcome! Bt be prepared for chily weather and make sure to bring a snack, warm layers and a flashlight. The trails are smooth and all strollers are allowed.
DIRECTIONS:
From Westside and Valley: San Diego (405) Fwy to Sunset Blvd west. Continue (approx 6 miles) to Temescal Canyon Road. Turn right (north) on Temescal Canyon Road, then immediate left into first parking lot. From PCH: Exit Temescal Canyon Road (there¹s a stoplight) heading north. Cross Sunset Blvd into the park. Turn left and meet in the first parking lot closest to Sunset Blvd. DO NOT park at any of the parking lots near the camp store.
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (starting point)
3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro, 90731; (310) 548-7562
Spirit Cruises in San Pedro (for whale watching)
Sunday, March 28, 2010
8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Ages: All (Toddlers and very small children not recommended)
Cost: Member Price: $18, Non-Member Price: $20 (to reserve a spot, call (310) 548-7562)
Website
Start your adventure at the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium with a fun and informational slide show about the fascinating life of the Pacific gray whale. After the show, the journey will continue at Spirit Cruises in San Pedro where we will head out on a two-hour voyage in search of whales, dolphins, sea lions and sea birds.
The release of 80 endangered adult Palos Verdes Blue Butterflies into their native habitat at Deane Dana Friendship Park in San Pedro this past weekend was a success in the continuing environmental efforts to revive the Blue Butterfly population. Listening to Dr. Jana Johnson speak about the Blue Butterfly captive breeding program at Moorpark College and the immense care required by the process and provided by her students reminded us of the fragility of these beautiful creatures and reignited our own love affair with butterflies. Luckily for us, spring is right around the corner, and everywhere we look, opportunities exist to learn about, see and experience the wonder of these winged beauties.
If you have a chance, head out to Dean Dane Friendship Park. You just might spot the thumbnail-sized blue butterfly making a home for itself. Federally-designated endangered in 1980, the Butterfly Project at Moorpark College has helped the Blue Butterfly population grow from only 200 to 10,000 in just three years. Now eight acres at Deane Dana Friendship Park will help provide a lush, natural habitat for these butterflies that exist uniquely in the Palos Verdes peninsula. But if you spot these blue beauties on your outing remember: look but don’t touch, because the goal is for these butterflies to breed and survive on their own. (MORE)
An annual favorite in Los Angeles from April to September, the Pavilion of Wings provides you the rare opportunity to be surrounded by hundreds of butterflies, some that may just land right on you. The enclosed tent on the grounds of the Natural History Museum will be home to more than 40 species of butterflies and moths in various stages of metamorphosis. A knowledgeable entomologist is usually on hand to answer everything you want to know about what you are seeing. Timed entrances ensure that it doesn’t get too crowded in the pavilion and that everyone gets ample QT with the butterflies! At $3 per entry (and free if you are a Natural History Museum member) this is a spring staple not to miss. (MORE)
Another hands on experience, Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena is once again offering its Caterpillar Adoption Program. For $5 your child can adopt a caterpillar at the Busy Bee Learning Store. Your child will bring home the caterpillar in its own container with food and care instructions. In one short month, the caterpillar will turn into a butterfly and your child can release it into the Kidspace Garden during the Butterfly Release ceremony on Saturday, April 17, 2010. Caterpillar adoptions begin on Wednesday, March 17, 2010. (MORE)
What better place to see butterflies than in a lush botanic garden. Butterfly Brigade at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden on Saturday, March 20, 2010 will include a leisurely stroll through the garden searching for these colorful insects in their favorite habitats. The kids will learn about the butterfly life process along the way. In the end, your child will take home her own caterpillar to witness a metamorphosis with her own eyes. (MORE)
The Little Scientist’s Lab at the California Science Center offers a Field Trip program for kids ages 4-6 years old. At the How do Butterflies Get their Wings? field trip program, kids will learn about life cycles and explore the amazing transformation that these creatures undergo. The field trip is for groups of 20 kids or more, so if you don’t have 20 friends and siblings to bring on this large playdate, let your preschooler’s teacher know that this field trip exists. Pre-registration is required and the cost is only $7 per student (adult chaperones – no maximum number – are free!). (MORE)
Get your hands dirty and feel good about it while helping to maintain the Native Butterfly Garden Installation along Griffith Park’s Fern Canyon Trail with the Children’s Nature Institute on Saturday, March 27, 2010. This project is a part of The Children’s Nature Institute’s continuing efforts to create thriving environmental-science resources for the children of Los Angeles county. Bring your hat, sunscreen and water to mulch, gather rocks and mark plants – the flittering native butterflies will thank you for it. (MORE)
Get your hands dirty and feel good about it while helping to maintain the Native Butterfly Garden Installation along Griffith Park’s Fern Canyon Trail with the Children’s Nature Institute on Saturday, March 27, 2010. This project is a part of The Children’s Nature Institute’s continuing efforts to create thriving environmental-science resources for the children of Los Angeles county. Bring your hat, sunscreen and water to mulch, gather rocks and mark plants – the flittering native butterflies will thank you for it.
You will need closed toe shoes, long pants, hat, sunscreen and water. This event is great for students, families and people who want to get their hands dirty in the garden!
Fern Canyon Trail
SEE Directions for exact location
Saturday, March 27, 2010
9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Ages: All
Cost: FREE (to register email shermin@cni-kids.org)
Website
DIRECTIONS: From L.A.: Take Los Feliz Blvd east to Riverside. Turn left into Griffith Park. Riverside turns into Griffith Park Dr/Crystal Springs. Continue past railroad to the 2nd stop sign at Park Headquarters. Turn left, follow sign to merry-go-round. Park in first merry-go-round parking lot. From the 5 fwy: Take the exit marked “Griffith Park”. Turn right on Crystal Springs Dr. Turn left at stop sign at Park Headquarters, follow sign to merry-go-round. Park in first merry-go-round parking lot.
Photo by Biiilyboy
A hands on experience for the kids, the Caterpillar Adoption Program is once again happening at Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena. Butterfly adoptions begin on March 17, 2010. For $5 your child can adopt a caterpillar at the Busy Bee Learning Store. You’ll receive the caterpillar in a container with food and instructions on how to care for it. In one short month, the caterpillar will turn into a beautiful butterfly and your child can release it into the Kidspace Garden during the Butterfly Release ceremony on April 17. The day will include performances in the Kidspace amphitheatre and other special programming.
Kidspace Children’s Museum
480 N. Arroyo Blvd., Pasadena, 91103
Adoptions begin Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Butterfly Release on Saturday, April 17, 2010
Hours: September through May: Tuesday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; June, July and August: Open 7 days a week! Monday – Friday, 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Ages: All
Cost: No Admission necessary to purchase caterpillar. Admission for Butterfly Release is $10 per person; Children ages 12 months and under FREE.
Website
An annual favorite in Los Angeles from April to September, the Pavilion of Wings provides you the rare opportunity to be surrounded by hundreds of butterflies, some that may just land right on you. The enclosed tent on the grounds of the Natural History Museum will be home to more than 40 species of butterflies and moths in various stages of metamorphosis. A knowledgeable entomologist is usually on hand to answer everything you want to know about what you are seeing. Timed entrances ensure that it doesn’t get too crowded in the pavilion and that everyone gets ample QT with the butterflies! At $3 per entry (and free if you are a Natural History Museum member) this is a spring staple not to miss.
Pavilion of Wings
900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, 90007; (213) 763-DINO
April – September (call museum for exact dates and times)
Ages: All
Cost: $3
Website
The release of 80 endangered adult Palos Verdes Blue Butterflies into their native habitat at Deane Dana Friendship Park in San Pedro this past weekend was a success in the continuing environmental efforts to revive the Blue Butterfly population. Listening to Dr. Jana Johnson speak about the Blue Butterfly captive breeding program at Moorpark College and the immense care required by the process and provided by her students reminded us of the fragility of these beautiful creatures and reignited our own love affair with butterflies. Lucky for us, spring is right around the corner, and everywhere we look, opportunities exist to learn about, see and experience the wonder of these winged beauties.
If you have a chance, head out to Dean Dane Friendship Park. You just might spot the thumbnail sized blue butterfly making a home for itself. Federally designated endangered in 1980, the Butterfly Project has helped the Blue Butterfly population grow from only 200 to 10,000 in just three years. Now eight acres at Deane Dana Park will help provide a lush, natural habitat for these butterflies that exist uniquely in the Palos Verdes peninsula. But if you spot these blue beauties remember: look but don’t touch, because the goal is for these butterflies to breed and survive on their own.
While you are at Deane Dana Friendship Park, wander the grounds and enjoy panoramic views of the L.A. and Long Beach harbors all the way to Catalina Island. Take the trails along the coastal sage scrub habitat, your best bet where to spot a Blue Butterfly. Check out the 4,000 square foot nature center with its natural history museum and some live animal displays. Check their schedule for regular family programming. The grounds offer picnic areas and a playground.
1805 W. 9th Street, San Pedro, 90732; (310) 519-6115
Hours: Park hours 7 a.m. – 6 p.m. every day; Nature Center hours 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesdays – Sundays
Ages: All
Cost: FREE
The cherry trees at Schabarum Park in Rowland Heights are still relatively young, but their blossoms are no less stunning. The first blooms have already started to appear along both sides of the mile-long walkway in the pristine park. Pack your kids, your family and a picnic and hurry 
to the park to take a storybook stroll alongside the iconic beauties. The cherry trees bloom for just a teeny bit of time, maybe two weeks, each year, and once they are at their peak, only mother nature and her winds and rain will determine how long they will stay. If luck and nice weather are on your side, you may have until April to enjoy the views.
17250 Colima Road Rowland Heights, CA 91748;(626) 810-4229
Hours: October through March 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
April through September 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Parking: FREE on weekdays; $6 on weekends
Malibu Pier Whale Watching
23000 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu;(310) 456-8031
Saturday and Sunday, January 23 & 24, 2010
Boat trips 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Ages: 7 and up (not recommended for toddlers)
Cost: $45 Adults; $30 Children; Special Family Pack Price: $100 for 2 adults and 2 kids
Website
It’s a great time of year to see whales making their annual migration. The Malibu Pier Whale Watching trip offers an opportunity to see California grey whales and pilot whales as well as dolphins, California sea lions, cormorants, California brown pelicans and other marine animals. Malibu Pier Whale Watching excursions are led by California State Park Rangers or naturalists and are family friendly, but it is not recommended for toddlers.
