Euphydryas Editha Bayensis
– – > Swipe through for color!
///
I was lucky to spot a flutter of Bay Checkerspots while hiking the peaks and hills that border the southern end of Santa Clara Valley.
This butterfly lives only in the Bay Area (up the San Francisco peninsula and down through Santa Clara Valley). The plants they feed on require soil which is heavy with serpentine, California’s state rock. With all the development that has happened here in the last 50 years the species is threatened due to habitat loss and the introduction of invasive plant species which compete with their native food sources. The Bay Checkerspot will likely become endangered soon. It is entirely possible that by the time my children are my age it will be extinct, though I hope this is not the case.
I was fortunate to snap photos of these beauties. Hang in there, Euphydryas Editha Bayensis!