Butterfly

 

The California pipevine swallowtail butterfly begins life as a tiny, red-gold egg. It hatches into a voracious black caterpillar with orange spots, then metamorphoses into a stunning, iridescent blue wonder. It used to be a common sight in the San Francisco area, but the species is in danger of disappearing altogether. One man is determined to keep that from happening. Tim Wong is an aquatic biologist at the California Academy of Sciences, but restoring these blue beauties is his hobby. Tim has created a butterfly paradise in his back garden, surrounded with mesh to ward off predators. Inside are nectar plants, including the swallowtail’s host plant of choice, the pipevine. Tim has been raising and re-homing California pipevine swallowtails by the hundreds in local parks since 2012. "Improving habitat for native fauna is something anyone can do," he says. "Conservation and stewardship can start in your very own backyard."