El Segundo blue butterfly
Encyclopedia
El Segundo Blue is a butterfly
local to a small dune ecosystem in Southern California
that used to be a community called Palisades del Rey
, close to the Los Angeles International Airport
(LAX). It is a federally designated endangered species
. The El Segundo Blue Butterfly Habitat Preserve next to LAX exists to protect the species. There are only three extant colonies of this tiny butterfly still in existence. The largest of these is on the grounds of LAX; a further colony exists on a site within the huge Chevron El Segundo oil refinery complex, and the smallest colony is an area of only a few square yards on a local beach. The butterfly lays its eggs on Coast buckwheat
, which the adults also use as a nectar source. Recently, some nearby beach cities such as Redondo Beach have replaced Ice plant
growth near the beaches with Coast buckwheat, in order to provide the butterflies with more of their natural food source.
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
local to a small dune ecosystem in Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
that used to be a community called Palisades del Rey
Palisades del Rey, California
Palisades del Rey is a former settlement in Los Angeles County, California. It lay at an elevation of 135 feet ....
, close to the Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
(LAX). It is a federally designated endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
. The El Segundo Blue Butterfly Habitat Preserve next to LAX exists to protect the species. There are only three extant colonies of this tiny butterfly still in existence. The largest of these is on the grounds of LAX; a further colony exists on a site within the huge Chevron El Segundo oil refinery complex, and the smallest colony is an area of only a few square yards on a local beach. The butterfly lays its eggs on Coast buckwheat
Coast buckwheat
Coast buckwheat may refer to different species in the Polygonaceae family:* Eriogonum latifolium* Eriogonum parvifolium...
, which the adults also use as a nectar source. Recently, some nearby beach cities such as Redondo Beach have replaced Ice plant
Ice plant
- Plant common names :* Aizoaceae, the ice plant family* Carpobrotus chilensis* Carpobrotus edulis* Conicosia, narrow-leafed ice plants* Delosperma cooperi, Cooper's ice plant* Delosperma bosseranum...
growth near the beaches with Coast buckwheat, in order to provide the butterflies with more of their natural food source.
Further reading
- Mattoni, Rudolf H. T., "The Endangered El Segundo Blue Butterfly," The Journal of Research on the Lepidoptera, Volume 29 (4), Winter 1990. PDF 19.5 MB