We’ve long suspected that the El Segundo Blue butterfly—a federally-designated endangered species—might be in the Ballona Wetlands, since reports of its presence date back to the early 1980s. But this year, during our seventh annual butterfly survey at Ballona, we were ecstatic to count over 70 El Segundo Blues in the Ballona dunes! These butterflies, unlike Monarchs which migrate thousands of miles from Mexico to Northern California, live their entire lives within 200 feet of their host plants, Coast buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium). Their presence represents a remarkable increase over the handful we have observed in two previous surveys, and it validates the work we have done to replace invasive plant species with native plants such as Coast buckwheat.
For over 25 years the Friends have conducted state-permitted monthly habitat restoration projects in the Ballona Wetlands’ salt marsh and dunes. More than 75,000 volunteers have pulled non-native weeds and iceplant, watered baby native plants, and monitored restoration areas. At the same time, we have brought thousands of school children to the Wetlands to learn about Los Angeles County’s unique coastal ecosystems.
As she has every year since we started doing our butterfly counts, Tracy Drake, Expert Naturalist and Manager of the Madrona Marsh Nature Preserve, guided our survey efforts again this year, and Friends’ staff, docents and interns joined her in the salt marsh to start the count. Charley Piechowski and Ivan Medel from the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission also participated in the count, and ecologist Dan Cooper offered to conduct the survey in the freshwater marsh’s riparian corridor.
Counts for species we expected to see other than the El Segundo Blue fell this year, possibly due to drought conditions. Only a handful of Marine Blues, Pygmy Blues, and Gray Hairstreaks were seen at the Freshwater Marsh, and we observed no Acmon Blues. We did, however, spot a few Acmons in the riparian corridor. Last year, when we conducted the survey in August, we counted 20 Marine Blues and 28 Pygmy Blues in the freshwater marsh area and 20 Marine Blues in the salt marsh. Skipper species were there, but not in the numbers we have had in prior years. In addition to counting butterflies, we also did an informal count of odonata species (dragonflies). We may conduct a second butterfly/dragonfly count later this year to see how the numbers change as late blooming plants start flowering and producing nectar.
This year the Friends consulted with Psomas Senior Project Manager of Natural Resources Irena Mendez on a formal El Segundo Blue Butterfly count in the Ballona Wetlands dunes. The results of this survey will be submitted to both the California and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. We hope that the state and federal agencies will recognize the burgeoning El Segundo Blue population in the Wetlands. We have begun to secure the areas where these Blues have been informally documented. Stay tuned – this is one of our most exciting developments in years – a DIRECT result of our restoration efforts!
