Long gone from their home in San Francisco, the California pipevine swallowtail is back thanks to one man transforming his yard into a habitat for them The iridescent blue wings of the California pipevine swallowtail are considered by collectors to be among the most magnificent in North America. For centuries …
As the California pipevine plant was displaced from San Francisco by urban sprawl, the California pipevine swallowtail, which relies on the pipevine plant to feed its caterpillars, also disappeared. That is, until a biologist named Tim Wong made it his mission to repopuplate the species in his own backyard.
Armed only with a cutting of California pipevine from the San Francisco Botanical Garden, Tim created a screened in butterfly enclosure in his backyard and began to reproduce California pipevines.
As new butterflies were born, Tim would donate them to the San Francisco Botanical Gardens where their pipevine host plant could still be found.
“At first he brought them in by the hundreds. Now he brings them in by the thousands every few months.”
While most of us don’t have the power to create habitat for endangered rhinos or tigers, anyone with a little bit of outdoor space can help create habitat for endangered insects!
You can:
-plant a pollinator garden with native nectar-producing plants
-plant host plants of local butterfly species
-leave piles of fallen leaves or sticks in your yard as habitat for native bees
-avoid using pesticides (or use them as sparingly as possible) around your home and yard
“Improving habitat for native fauna is something anyone can do. Conservation and stewardship can start in your very own backyard.” -Tim Wong
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