Seasons Restaurant in Carlsbad introduces The Butterfly Garden

Each year thousands of Monarch butterflies choose San Diego as a resting spot as they travel their route of more than 1,500 miles (more than 2,400 km) across North America. However, the number of Western Monarch butterflies migrating along the coast has plummeted precipitously, pushing these marvelous creatures towards extinction. 

This year, Seasons Restaurant introduces The Butterfly Garden – a limited-time experience at Four Seasons Residence Club Aviara in Carlsbad, just a half-hour north of San Diego. 

From June 15 to September 6, 2021, the outdoor veranda at Seasons Restaurant will feature a central planting of milkweeds intended to attract Monarch butterflies. The milkweed plants themselves add an interesting dimension to Aviara’s environmental efforts. Experts recommend planting native milkweed instead of tropical or other non-native milkweeds. Carlsbad itself is home to the wild narrow leaf milkweed. The US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Fish and Wildlife have partnered with Butterfly Farms to propagate this specific plant. In turn, Seasons Restaurant is featuring the plant in the Butterfly Garden, supporting Butterfly Farms’ goal to educate the local community. 

Watching colorful Monarch butterflies fluttering among the milkweeds adds a magical quality to Seasons Restaurant’s daily Happy Hour.  The veranda itself has view of the resort-style swimming pool, a menu of cocktails and California-forward cuisine:  

• For cocktails, choose from four specialties including The Monarch Spritz.   The Enchantress is a balanced combination of whisky, ginger beer, lemon and mint. Margarita lovers will be “wowed” by The Great Migration, a surprising take on a classic. This mezcal tequila Margarita is jet black in color thanks to the addition of activated charcoal with its detoxifying qualities. The Metamorphosis combines blanco tequila and passionfruit, turning a beautiful lavender color with the addition of butterfly pea flower for an added dose of antioxidants.
• For light bites, try the prosciutto crostini, a shareable dish featuring black olive tapenade and cauliflower purée on crisp toast – cut to resemble butterfly wings; or the scallop aguachile, with scallops cocooned in jicama, then topped with radishes, cilantro and slices of cucumber.  
• For dessert, try the blackberry semifreddo, flanked by savory sage butter cookies and local Carlsbad strawberries. Another option is the butterfly nectar, a fruit cup presented in a round, fishbowl glass and topped with a poppyseed palmier folded in the shape of butterfly wings. The dish resembles a butterfly perched on a flower, drinking its nectar.   
  

The Butterfly Garden at Seasons Restaurant runs daily from 2:00 to 5:00 pm, exclusively from June 15 to September 6, 2021.