Blue butterflies back from the brink of extinction

If you go to the quaint downtown area of El Segundo, a city just south of Los Angeles International Airport, you may begin to see the symbol of a blue butterfly pop up in different places, such as the Blue Butterfly Coffee Co. and other businesses. The blue butterfly image is ingrained in the culture of this community because it represents a rare butterfly, called the El Segundo blue, that only resides in this small coastal area. Soon these images may be the only things that remain because it is an endangered species.

Despite its name, the El Segundo blue butterfly is more grayish and has rusty gold on the outside of its wings. Originally, the butterfly population spanned 3,200 acres of the El Segundo Dunes. However, this area has become an extremely popular place to live because of its beautiful ocean views. With more people desiring to move in, the natural habitat is being destroyed to make room for new commercial areas. Urban development has resulted in a loss of habitat and the butterfly's main food source, a plant called buckwheat, which are both important factors in the declining numbers of this butterfly species.

Volunteers in the area are trying to raise the El Segundo blue population numbers by planting more buckwheat along the bluffs. However, replanting the same plants again after construction is completed can bring other challenges for the butterflies. When new plants are introduced, they can attract other non-native insects that compete for space in the habitat.

"The El Segundo has a hard time competing with other butterflies," said Josh Weinik, stewardship associate biologist for the Palos Verdes Land Conservancy.

Poster in the Palos Verdes Nature Center showing information about the two butterflies. Click for larger photo. (Photo taken by Elina Demis)

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For example, the main population of the El Segundo blue butterfly at the LAX dunes saw a large dip in numbers when a species of California buckwheat, which hosts many other types of butterflies, was planted in the area. Despite these setbacks, it appears that volunteer efforts are working.

"The El Segundo blue has luckily taken very well to habitat restoration," Weinik said.

Weinik works on surveying different areas around the bluffs all along the coast. He says the species is doing quite well right now with about 30-40 of the butterflies at the bluffs near the Point Vicente Interpretive Center in Palos Verdes, which is about 16 miles south of El Segundo. Here, there is another endangered blue butterfly that is even rarer called the Palos Verdes blue butterfly. It also has a very specific food source, surviving on only two plants known as rattlepod or locoweed, and deer weed. Just like with the El Segundo blue, habitat loss is a huge factor.

"Both butterflies have lost a majority of their habitat, probably over 90% here in Palos Verdes," Weinik said.

The El Segundo blue was the first insect to be placed on The Endangered Species list in 1976, with the Palos Verdes blue following shortly after in 1980. In 1983, the Palos Verdes blue was thought to have gone extinct, and that belief was widely held until 1994 when a small population of around 60 butterflies was found near the Defense Fuel Support Point in San Pedro. Since then, there have been major restoration efforts in the area. Conservationists have to take a different approach with this species to get the population back to healthy numbers. The Navy base where the butterfly was rediscovered now has a program where they are breeding the butterflies in captivity in hopes that they will be able to release them into the wild. There are also breeding programs at Moorpark College and in Morro Bay.

Poster in the Palos Verdes Nature Center showing information about the Palos Verdes blue butterfly's life cycle. Click for larger photo. (Photo taken by Elina Demis)

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Cristal Guzman, a naturalist, and head at the George F. Canyon Nature Center in Palos Verdes, says the Palos Verdes blue butterfly is doing well in captivity. But, even with conservation efforts, the numbers in the wild are not.

"They're just not doing so great in the wild because they just don't have the abundance that they used to," Guzman said.

Guzman has been working with the Palos Verdes Conservatory for five years and has never seen the Palos Verdes blue butterfly since many non-endangered types of butterflies are also blue and gray. However, the Palos Verdes blue butterfly is the only one that has a black edge when the wings are open, and small black dots when the wings are closed. The black dots on the outside are the only thing that distinguishes it from other types of blue butterflies.

While some captivity releases have already happened about 10 years ago, the Palos Verdes blue butterfly has proven hard to recover. Dr. Travis Longcore, the science director at The Urban Wildlands Group and professor of spatial and biological sciences at USC, said that they are no longer able to release these butterflies until California Fish and Wildlife signs off on it. This process has been taking longer than he had originally hoped. He and other scientists working to save these small insects are planning to meet in January to figure out how to finalize the process. He says that captive breeding is the only thing propping up the population at the moment. Weinik and Guzman both believe that this is because of the development in the area and the fact that the butterfly can only survive on two plants.

Poster in the Palos Verdes Nature Center showing more information about the Palos Verdes blue butterfly. Click for larger photo. (Photo taken by Elina Demis)

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Another component that is proving to be challenging is the fact that the Palos Verdes blue butterfly's life span is very short, a mere 5 days. This makes it difficult to get the numbers up because there have to be enough individuals to mate and reproduce. Also, instead of forming cocoons in trees like other insects, the Palos Verdes blue butterfly buries itself in the ground. After the butterflies lay their eggs on the chosen food plant, it takes 7 to 10 days before the larvae emerge and move to the base of the plant where they form a chrysalis to begin the transformation process.

According to Guzman, the Palos Verdes Peninsula used to be an island included in the Channel Islands and when this eventually changed, the Palos Verdes blue butterfly was extremely unprepared.

"When you come on the mainland it's easier to get a mix of invasive species," Guzman said.

The Palos Verdes and El Segundo blue butterflies are both very small, about the size of a quarter, which makes them very vulnerable to being overlooked and harmed by humans. The butterflies also have several natural predators, which include birds and lizards. However, Weinik uses these predators as signs of where to look for the butterflies.

"Whenever I'm surveying I always look for plants where lizards are hanging out. This is a really good indicator of where the butterflies are because lizards are their natural predators," Weinik said. "It's a great cue when we see western fence lizards crawling up into the host plant that there are butterflies that have emerged and are flying at that time."

Audio

Julie Kluck from Born Free USA talks about The Endangered Species Act (ESA)

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) is an important part of the effort to save these two species of butterflies. But, they are not the only endangered animals in the South Bay area. The California gnatcatcher and the coastal cactus wren are two bird species in the area that are also in need of protection. All the changes that are being proposed by the administration could be detrimental to the survival of these important species.

Julie Kluck, the campaigns associate with Born Free USA, believes that her job of getting information about endangered species out to the public is very important because it is the only way to help get better laws passed and enforced. It's especially challenging right now, as many new bills are including proposals, called riders, which actively go against the Endangered Species Act. Kluck currently works on five major campaigns and feels as though she cannot keep up with all the changes that are constantly being suggested.

"This congress definitely is keeping us on our toes with how much they are throwing out at us," Kluck said, "Just within this congress, the last two years, they had made approximately 116 individual attacks on the ESA."

Without these protections, many endangered species on the list are at increased risk of being removed or facing significant decline, if climate change does not continue to be factored in when assessing if a species should be protected.

Photo Gallery

Rollover thumbnail for more information. Click thumbnail to change large photo.

This is a timeline that was shown on a poster hanging in the Palos Verdes Nature Center. It shows important dates for both the Palos Verdes and El Segundo blue butterflies. (Photo taken by Elina Demis)

At the bluffs near the Point Vicente Interpretive Center, volunteers have been planting new buckwheat plants for the El Segundo blue butterfly. Each green flag is where the new plants will grow. (Photo taken by Elina Demis)

Coastal Buckwheat is one of the main plants that the El Segundo blue butterfly survives on. (Photo taken by Elina Demis)

A sign at the edge of the cliffs tells visitors about the restoration efforts for the El Segundo blue butterfly. (Photo taken by Elina Demis)

It is unknown what would happen if these two butterfly species were lost. Kluck thinks that there would be ramifications, even if we cannot see them yet.

"There's always a link to everything," Kluck said, "When you do one thing there's a domino effect."

Endangered birds and butterflies are part of the same food web. Even though the blue butterflies are endangered, seeing nature working the way it should be, is actually what people like Weinik are hoping to see.

"We're trying to restore that natural ecosystem," Weinik said. "When things are working good, we have lizards hunting El Segundo blues and Palos Verdes blues."