The San Bruno Elfin Butterfly Restoration and Education project aims to inspire people with the hopeful tale of the overlooked San Bruno Elfin butterfly and grow a community of stewards to help improve and restore habitat for this endangered species on San Bruno Mountain.

The San Bruno Elfin is a fascinating and resilient butterfly. It lives on the foggy, wind-swept peaks of San Bruno Mountain. The caterpillars feed on the leaves and flowers of the Pacific stonecrop (Sedum spathulifolium)—it is striking to see the bold, crimson-hued caterpillars clinging to the stems of this native succulent plant.

Adult butterflies seek nectar from native flowers like Lomatium and others.

Project Objectives

We aim to:

• Produce a self-guided interpretive walking tour exploring the habitats and stories of the San Bruno Elfin butterfly, as part of our “Tales and Trails” mobile tour app.

• Create a curriculum about the San Bruno Elfin butterfly.

• Create a new collection in the San Bruno Mountain Archives featuring the San Bruno Elfin butterfly, beginning with 100 items of historical and educational significance.

• Develop a hike series dedicated to educating the public about the San Bruno Elfin butterfly.

• Propagate Pacific stonecrop plants at the Mission Blue Nursery and distribute them to students and the general public through giveaways and public plant sales.

• Produce and distribute 500 San Bruno Elfin educational booklets to accompany stonecrop plants.

• Raise awareness by distributing “San Bruno Elfin on Pacific stonecrop” stickers and project t-shirts.

• Propagate and plant 1000 Stonecrop and Lomatium plants (host and nectar species) with the help of volunteers on San Bruno Mountain.