Endangered Butterfly Returns to Destroyed Habitat on San Bruno Mt.

Endangered San Bruno Elfin Butterfly Returns to Quarry Benches

Hidden from view, safe from common threats, quietly, secretly one of San Bruno Mountain’s endangered butterflies has been returning to an abandoned part of its range. This habitat had been so drastically changed by the work of man’s machines that almost all hope of finding the San Bruno Elfin Butterfly there had vanished. Miraculously, the once destroyed and barren landscape is now a thriving “nursery” for the Elfin caterpillars. San Bruno Mountain Watch is leading hikes to this secret place on Friday, June 1, or Monday, June 4.
Just where is this spot? On the north-facing upper benches of the Guadalupe Quarry, at the back of each step where the vertical and horizontal faces meet, the damp, moss-covered, greywacke sandstones of San Bruno Mountain make a perfect habitat for sedum, the Elfin’s host plant. At this moment, the sedum is in full bloom, and at the right time of day the caterpillars can be seen slowly feasting on them.
Just as the stench from the San Francisco garbage dump and the stockyards discouraged early development on San Bruno Mountain, thus saving the mountain, the quarry which took a huge gouge out of the mountain now harbors a thriving endangered species habitat.

Getting to this spot takes some doing, but the experience is WELL WORTH IT. (Allow 3 hours and prepare for some strenuous hiking.) Tireless San Bruno Mountain environmentalist and intrepid guide David Schooley has been showing the mountain to others for years and would be happy to show you this hidden treasure. The caterpillars will be out for only a few more days, so don’t delay arranging this outing.
David is available for a hike on Friday, June 1, or Monday, June 4. The hike will leave from the summit of San Bruno Mountain (the parking lots and the end of the road) at 10 AM.

Call David Schooley, 510-843-3661, or Ken McIntire at San Bruno Mountain Watch, 415-467-6631, to RSVP and get details.

contact San Bruno Mountain Watch <sanbruno [at] mountainwatch.org> for wonderful photos which i can't transmit with this form.

Comment by Louise: this is a historic discovery. The butterflies and the sedum plants have arrived on the rocky ledges of the quarry just in time to claim protection for a site that is perennially under threat of further development. With their presence the Endangered Species Act kicks in because these ledges are now endangered species habitat! From these high ledges , the plants and caterpillars look down on concentric layers of this huge quarry, an industrial park and high-priced ticky-tack built where wild lands should be--in effect the history of this act is spread out below this spectacular site.