Butterflies Are Back

by L. J. Williamson

Butterflies are easy-to-love insects; they don't buzz, sting, or invade your Cheerios. What's more, they're really pretty, especially compared to, say, the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach.

So even the most "eh" of environmentalists will be pleased to hear that the once-endangered El Segundo Blue, a butterfly native to the Los Angeles International Airport area (!) and surrounding beaches is beginning to make a comeback.

Development of the Blue's habitat, and replacement of native plants like the buckwheat the butterfly thrives on in favor of erosion-controlling iceplant threatened the fluttering lovelies, but with the help of extensive native plant restoration, their numbers are rebounding. But if the native plant restoration project doesn't continue to expand, the El Segundo Blue will stay on the endangered list.

Local homeowners are less than enthralled with the relandscaping of the area, however -- some have complained about the less green appearance of the native plants that have been restored and the increased sand erosion. But if the butterflies could retort, I'm sure they'd complain right back -- about the ridiculousness of insisting that native plants be eradicated from their habitat. For the humans, it's a matter of aesthetics, but for the butterflies, it's a matter of life and death.

Read more.

| 07/11/07 | Environment