Sarah Ainsworth Studio

Last week, I got to start official butterfly counting training. When I complete the 20 hours, plus pass a test, I will have a permit to monitor/count our endangered El Segundo Blue butterfly. One key element is being able to tell apart these similar species, which can be tricky when they’re in flight! There are some obvious differences if you can get close enough to see. Their flight patterns can be a little different, and Marine blues are a tiny bit bigger than ES Blues, not that it’s obvious if you haven’t spent hundreds of hours looking at them. Fortunately, last week’s training took place in a location that features both species, which made it easier to fix in-flight differences in my brain. Did you spot the differences in the last species?
All shot with a Pentax K1 and macro lens. On this, my 4th year, I’m finally starting to catch some in flight. They are far worse than hummingbirds, and I’d really like to borrow a high speed camera to do some filming. If you know of a loaner program, let me know.
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Another habitat with confirmed emergence of endangered El Segundo blue butterflies. Also spotted: a Western Pygmy Blue, the smallest butterfly in the world! May 24, 2026! On the Manhattan Beach Dunes restoration area just south of El Porto.