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The butterfly, less than 1 inch across, journeyed from their protected environment to the beach because the invasive ice plant had been removed and replaced with native vegetation – namely dune buckwheat – a variety that not only provides the butterfly with nectar but also with a place to lay their delicate eggs. The butterfly, whose wings sport gray and black spots on one side and an azure blue on the other, was first placed on the Endangered Species list in 1976. Longcore never imagined the tiny butterflies would make the trip to the bluffs and buckwheat on their own. “Although the colonization was a surprise -- experts thought the butterflies would need to be introduced by hand -- it was not an accident,” Longcore said. “This project is an example of cooperative conservation, where goals are met through carefully crafted consensus and voluntary action.“ Four years ago, Longcore and Redondo Beach resident Ann Dalkey formed the Beach Bluffs Restoration Project to spearhead the restoration of the bluffs along Santa Monica Bay. The Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, the Urban Wildlands Group and the Los Angeles Conservation Corps’ Science, Education and Adventure Lab program all supported the effort. Using at-risk youth and volunteers, they pulled out the ice plant and put in buckwheat, California sunflower, deer weed, lupines, prickly pear cactus, ambrosia and sand verbena. The revegetation project was funded by the Coastal Conservancy, city of Redondo Beach and the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors. No one has commented on this article.
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