A giclee print on textured watercolor paper. The paper measures 8x10” for easy framing and the print area is 5x7”.

This is the El Segundo Blue, a tiny endangered butterfly found in (almost) only one place on earth - a small stretch of protected dune habitat adjacent to LAX. It’s only host plant is the sea cliff buckwheat, Eriogonum parvifolium. Coastal habitat is one of the most threatened in California (and in the world in general) due to development. Protecting the El Segundo blue’s habitat create areas where many other species can hold on too.

The Airport Dunes have a checkered history, starting as a neighborhood that was condemned by the city of LA, tired of fighting residents’ complaints. It has weathered plans to turn it into a golf course, a runway, and some misguided habitat restoration - the dunes were planted with native California buckwheat, which attracted many other insects that outcompeted the El Segundo blue.

This butterfly is hanging on due to the dedicated work of conservation organizations and volunteers. A few of these tiny butterflies are holding on in a couple pockets near Los Angeles beaches; keep your eyes out and you could see one!