Endangered Blue Butterflies Expand in Ballona Wetlands

Above: The male endangered El Segundo Blue. They are no larger than a dime. Photo by Patrick Tyrrell.

The endangered El Segundo Blue Butterfly are active at the Ballona Wetlands' Western Dunes, according to Friends of Ballona Wetlands, who have a Coastal Development Permit authorizing habitat restoration. The butterflies eat native buckwheat and lay the eggs of their next generation in the flowers.

The El Segundo Blues were almost extinct when the U.S. declared them endangered and protected in 1976. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began a decades-long federal recovery program in 1998, although local recovery actions began in the 1980s. These efforts have succeeded with the help of countless volunteers.

Above: Just a few of the 1800 volunteers that participated in Friends of Ballona Wetlands' El Segundo Blue Butterfly habitat restoration over the past year. Photo by Friends of Ballona Wetlands.

An official survey in 2013 first confirmed the Blue Butterfly had returned to the Ballona Dunes after decades of absence and was living and reproducing there. The butterfly's unique habitat had degraded over the years but was rejuvenated by the Friends' community restoration efforts. For over twenty years, Friends' volunteers cleared invasive weeds from about 13 acres, enabling native buckwheat, the life source for the butterfly, to expand into the weed-free dune areas. The Dunes will not be affected by the state's proposed Ballona Wetlands Restoration Project, which will further expand habitat for the butterfly's recovery. Recent restoration efforts by Friends volunteers brought the total Blue Butterfly habitat area to 8 acres.

Above: The female endangered El Segundo Blue Butterfly, depositing eggs on a buckwheat flower head. Photo by Patrick Tyrrell.

Endangered species surveys may only be performed by a qualified biologist lawfully permitted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the surveys must follow a strict, scientifically defensible protocol that is specific to each species. While amateur observations, photographs or other anecdotal claims about endangered species and their habitat may prompt protocol surveys, none are recognized as scientifically valid and may not be used for regulatory purposes in the United States. The 2013 and more recent surveys were conducted by Dr. Irena Mendez, a professional biologist certified and permitted by the USFWS to conduct protocol surveys for the El Segundo Blue butterfly.

Adult Blues consume coast buckwheat pollen and nectar, then mate and lay eggs on the flowers. Eggs hatch within 3 to 5 days, and the caterpillars hide within flower heads, feeding mostly on the buckwheat seeds. As the caterpillars change to pupas, individuals fall to the ground and remain buried either underground or in the leaf litter at the base of the buckwheat plant until they emerge as adult butterflies.

Above: Larvae (caterpillar) of the El Segundo Blue Butterfly . Photo by Ann Dalkey.

Patrick Tyrrell, Friends' Manager of Habitat Restoration and Upper Education, told me that for this past years' restoration program, 501 seedlings were planted, 217 of which were buckwheat. Over 1800 volunteers participated throughout 2019-20, according to Neysa Frechette, Friends' Manager of Scientific Programs.

Above: Volunteers planting seedlings propagated from native seeds collected at the Ballona Dunes. Photo by Friends of Ballona Wetlands.

In order to propagate seedlings native to the Ballona Wetlands, seeds were collected onsite to preserve the genetic integrity of the Dunes vegetation. So, the new plants are all offspring of only Ballona dunes adult plants.

Above left: Wire fencing protects a young buckwheat plant from hungry cottontail rabbits. Above right: A mature stand of buckwheat, planted by the Friends 10 years ago.

Friends of Ballona Wetlands partnered with various other organizations to form the ESB Coalition, whose mission is to connect and create local native wildlife habitat capable of supporting valuable species like the El Segundo blue butterfly. The coalition hopes to create a strip of uninterrupted blue butterfly habitat stretching from Palos Verdes to Ballona, and encourages coastal homeowners to plant native buckwheat in their yards to assist in that effort.

Above: The Life Cycle of the El Segundo Blue Butterfly (courtesy Friends of Ballona Wetlands).

During the 2013 survey, the numbers of adult male and female Blue Butterflies ranged from 0 to 65 on any given survey date. According to Friends' staff, over 54 individuals were observed during an informal survey on July 9, 2020, so the population appears to continue to be stable.

Above: The Ballona Dunes areas where the El Segundo Blue Butterfly is surveyed.

In her 2013 report, Dr. Mendez wrote that Friends had made great strides in restoring the dunes area by removing invasive iceplant and non-native trees. Dr. Mendez noted that today the site largely contains native coastal dune species and riparian thickets. Habitat restoration efforts are an on-going project for the Friends, and Dr. Mendez added that due to the urban setting of the site with its ample sources of non-native landscape and weedy vegetation, the Friends will need to focus future efforts on resource management that will undoubtedly include a small but persistent population of El Segundo Blue butterflies. "The educational opportunities for the site will be both challenging and inspiring", she concluded.

Fast forward seven years, and the Friends' ongoing restoration and education programs continue to improve the Blue Butterflies' chances of survival. Perhaps one day they will no longer require their endangered and protected status.

Enjoy your Ballona Wetlands!

References:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Recovery Plan for the El Segundo Blue Butterfly. 1998. https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/980928d.pdf

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Pollinators. El Segundo Blue Butterfly. https://www.fws.gov/pollinators/Features/El_Segundo_blue_butterfly.html#:~:text=The%20range%20of%20the%20El,of%20Los%20Angeles%20County%2C%20CA.&text=Since%20its%20listing%20as%20endangered,in%20Santa%20Barbara%20County%2C%20California.

Irena Mendez, Ph.D. Results of 2013 Presence/Absence Surveys for El Segundo Blue Butterfly at the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve, Playa Del Rey, Los Angeles County, CA. November 21, 2013. USFWS Recovery Permit TE218630.

ESB Coalition. esbcoalition.org

Personal communication, July 21, 2020. Patrick Tyrrell and Neysa Frechette. Friends of Ballona Wetlands. https://www.ballonafriends.org/restoration

Author’s note of transparency:

Dr. David W. Kay served on the Board of Directors of the non-profit Friends of Ballona Wetlands from 2007 until 2015, and served as Board President in 2012-13. He presently serves on the Board of Ballona Discovery Park in Playa Vista.

Since 1984, David has been employed by Southern California Edison Company, exclusively in the company’s environmental services organizations. His many responsibilities included restoration of the 440-acre San Dieguito Wetlands near Del Mar. He is presently Senior Manager for Project Environmental Licensing at the company. David earned bachelor and masters degrees in biology and a doctorate in environmental science.

David is a staunch advocate for the state of California’s plans to restore the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve.

See Dr. Kay’s Patch contributor profile here.