Butterflies of Pinnacles National Park

The Colorful World of Butterflies

Butterflies serve as a vibrant reflection of the landscape around them. On a well-manicured lawn, butterflies are rare, but in a vacant lot with diverse plants, you may find a few more. In a butterfly garden where a gardener has carefully selected a variety of plants to meet the needs of both butterflies and caterpillars, the diversity of butterflies often mirrors that care. However, the best places to see a wide variety of butterflies are where nature has been left largely undisturbed.

Pinnacles National Park is such a place. Although it spans only about 42 square miles, much of its land remains a pristine wilderness that supports a rich diversity of wildlife. How many different kinds of butterflies would you guess are found here?

Butterfly Diversity at Pinnacles

Pinnacles National Park is home to 70 different species of butterflies. Of these, about 35 species are common enough that you are likely to see them if you visit the right habitat at the right time. Around a dozen species are so abundant that you may see hundreds during a visit. But how do you know the best time and place to find them?

The Pinnacles National Park Butterfly Checklist provides detailed information on the number of each butterfly species you can expect to see in a few hours during each month of the year across five different habitats. By knowing the right time and place to look, you can increase your chances of seeing butterflies. You can refine your search further by identifying their host plants (plants on which butterflies lay eggs and caterpillars feed) and nectar plants (flowers from which adult butterflies drink).

For example, if you visit Pinnacles in July and want to see a Sylvan Hairstreak, the checklist indicates that in riparian (streamside) habitats, you can expect to see more than 20. Their host plant is willow, and their favorite nectar plant is milkweed. Following a park ranger's advice, you might take the Old Pinnacles Trail and search for willow trees along the way. After some exploration, you find Sylvan Hairstreaks feeding on both the willows and milkweed flowers, achieving your goal while enjoying a diverse butterfly experience along the trail.

Tips for Butterfly Watching

• Time of Day: Butterflies are most active between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. They are typically absent during cold, rainy, or windy conditions.
• Good Spots: Hilltops, moist areas, open ground patches, and flowers are prime locations. In summer and fall, flowers in bloom can attract butterflies from great distances.
• Butterfly Flowers at Pinnacles: Some particularly effective flowers for attracting butterflies include wallflower, California buckeye, thistles, California buckwheat, wooly yerba santa, summer mustard, milkweeds, vinegar weed, exotic mints, shrubby butterweed, coyote brush, and heliotrope.

Protecting Butterflies at Pinnacles

Pinnacles National Park actively works to ensure that butterflies and their habitats are protected for future generations. The number one threat to butterflies is habitat loss, often linked to the decline of their host plants. By safeguarding natural habitats and processes across the park, Pinnacles helps preserve butterfly populations. Part of this protection involves prohibiting the collection of butterflies, wildflowers, or any other natural items within the park.

Monitoring Butterfly Populations

To monitor butterfly populations over time, the park conducts an annual Butterfly Count. This data is compared to previous years and other similar counts conducted in other locations to detect potential species declines. This monitoring allows park managers to identify causes of decline and develop strategies for restoration.

The ultimate goal is to ensure that visitors can experience the beauty of Pinnacles' butterflies, such as the Sylvan Hairstreak, for generations to come. If you'd like to contribute to this goal, report any unusual butterfly sightings and consider participating in the annual Butterfly Count.

For more information on pollinators, visit the NPS Pollinators Program.