Tickets available for annual Butterfly Ball fundraiser in San Luis Obispo

Tickets are now on sale for the Central Coast State Parks Association's (CCSPA) fifth annual Butterfly Ball fundraiser.

The event is taking place Oct. 12 at the Octagon Barn in San Luis Obispo and celebrates the return of the western monarch butterflies to the Central Coast.

Monarchs typically arrive in October and stick around until February or March.

The event will feature "elegant performances, fine dining, a silent auction, and conservation awards."

World-renowned conservation leader Julie Packard will be honored at the event.

If you are interested in participating in the celebration, tickets are $125 each through Aug. 31 and $150 per ticket after that date.

Proceeds from the Butterfly Ball will help support the Pismo State Beach Monarch Grove, which the CCSPA calls an important site for western monarch education and protection.

The Grove off Dolliver Street in Pismo Beach is home to California's second highest population of overwintering western monarchs and educates around 100,000 visitors each year, according to the CCSPA, which states that in order to sustain its educational and ecological impact, the Grove needs immediate restoration work.

According to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, the Pismo Grove is one of California's "most in need of protection and management."

For more information on the event, visit https://centralcoastparks.org/butterfly-ball/.