The Endangered El Segundo Blue Butterfly--A Story of Survival

'Wow' was all I could say when I heard about this little butterfly.  And then I read it's story.  

Named for the El Segundo coastal dunes along California's Santa Monica Bay in which it lives, the El Segundo blue butterfly--Euphilotes battoides allym--survived in three fragmented habitats a few years ago, the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) preserve, the Chevron El Segundo Refinery preserve, and in Malaga Cove on the Palos Verdes Pennisula.  Now due to more than thirty years of native plant restorative efforts and research, it also is occurring on dune preserves in Rodondo and Torrence.

A specialist species measuring less than an inch in size, it spends its entire life cycle in and around one plant, the Seacliff Buckwheat, also called Coast or Dune Buckwheat--Eriogonum parvifolium--and the life of the butterfly itself only lasts a few days.  It nectars on the buckwheat flower, mates, lays its eggs in the blossoms; its larvae eat the flowers and its pupae are formed at the base of the plant, emerging the next season, late June through July, as adult butterflies to start the cycle all over again.

Below, Travis Longcore describes the complex story of this butterfly's survival.  

And for an amazing and awe inspiring look at the timing and interconnected relationships in nature, view the video below.  This one tells the story of the symbiotic relationship between this butterfly species and ants, as well as, the very specialist nature of this butterfly.  Its adult emergence is perfectly timed with the blooming of its sole host plant, the Seacliff Buckwheat.  

As you read about and hear this story, you can't help but notice the human error, development without stewardship, and in turn, the human effort and historical timing that saved this species from extinction.  The endangered species act went into effect just as the disappearance of this butterfly was being noticed in the early 70's.  As a result, it was one of the first butterflies to be listed and protected.  Thirty years later, with the efforts of many dedicated people from all walks of life who organized themselves into action, this butterfly has gone from a scattered remnant population of only 500 to a population that is now flourishing, only because its native habitat is diligently being preserved and restored.

I love these come-back stories, ones that insure us we can make a difference.  And then I wonder how many species go unnoticed, and question why we can't incorporate preservation as a way of life--before a species is endangered.  My greatest hope is that we, the human species around the world, will evolve into that wisdom.  And soon!

Related Links:
Visit my sketches and the story of how I discovered this butterfly at A Restaurant, an Endangered Butterfly and a Life Bird at Vickie's Sketchbook.

Summary of the El Segundo Blue Butterfly's conservation history.  More about the butterfly's life history. 

The conservation efforts at Chevron's El Segundo Refinery. 

The Butterfly Conservation Initiative

Long-billed Curlew at El Matador Beach--Malibu, CA

Having lived in the "south" most of my life (south meaning the eastern south) and being accustomed to a more leisurely pace, a visit to Los Angeles, California, can feel like a visit to a foreign country.  Driving the LA freeways, navigating city streets even, for me rivals learning a foreign language at a high-speed pace with only a few seconds to grasp it.   
But also rivaling any wonder I've experienced in nature is the absolute grandeur of the western coastline along the Pacific Coast Highway.  The ruggedness of the rock cliff formations, the blue expanse of the Pacific Ocean, the impressive panoramic views of the undulating California coastline on one side, and stark canyon walls on the other, present a world that envelops me in wonder every time I see it.  Add to this, the discovery of a life bird foraging among the rock formations and you have what makes for a perfect moment in nature.   (Click on the above image to enlarge and notice the people standing in the shadow of the large boulder.  This gives you a relative idea of the height of my position while taking the photograph just before my climb down.)

Located on the west end of Malibu, El Matador is one of three beaches located in the Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach, an area of cove or cliff-foot strands, also known as "pocket beaches" because of their isolated accessibility.

That isolation is largely due to the steep decent required to gain beach access, made possible only by a series of paths and stairways that enable you to weave your way down the cliff wall to the shore.      

And every landing is worthy of pause, a chance to take in a whole new perspective on a breath-taking view. 

Below, you see a cluster of rock formations along the shore.  It was at this level that I noticed the movement of shorebirds among the rocks, one of them standing out as larger and more colorful.

After progressing a couple of levels closer, I knew I had found a treasure, an unfamiliar bird with intriguing features.

Breeding in grasslands and wet meadows in the central United States and south-central Canada, the Long-billed Curlew, a life bird for me, winters along the coast of California and south to Mexico.  It uses that long decurved bill to probe deep into mud and sand, following the burrows of fiddler crabs, shrimp, crayfish and other crustaceans, and bringing them up to the surface to consume.   On it's grassland breeding grounds, it uses this same technique to forage earthworm burrows.

Considered "highly imperiled" by the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan because of declines and threats to both breeding and wintering grounds, while not foraging this bird walks with an erect, slightly head back posture giving it a proud appearance as it travels the mud flats.

At a height of 23" and a wing span of 35" it also made a graceful departure.  Slow, deliberate flaps from long cinnamon wings lifted it over the boulder-strewn, frothy tidal waters with ease.    

One of those unexpected treasured moments with nature.

Related Links and Resources:

Robert H. Meyer Memorial State Beach and El Matador State Beach
Cornell on the Long-billed Curlew

Visit blog carnival, I and the Bird  #138, at Wanderin' Weeta's where you'll find this post and others that show the many ways people enjoy birds in nature.

Linked to Bird Photography Weekly # 115 to promote the conservation of our world's birds.