HEROs save butterflies

On Oct. 13, the HERO (Habitat and Environmental Restoration Org.) Club began its new Blue Butterfly Project. The project’s goal is to provide more habitats for the endangered Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly which can survive in only a few small habitats on the Peninsula.

HERO Club is the largest environmental service club on campus. In the past, the club has worked with the Palos Verdes Land Conservancy on various projects, but the Blue Butterfly Project is the first that has been entrusted solely to the responsibility of HERO Club members, from both of Peninsula and Palos Verdes High.

“[We] are all doing our best to make this new project as successful as possible,” HERO Club President Lisa Choi said.

To start, club members gathered at a site near Dapplegray Elementary. There,  they weeded a plot of land and planted the Blue Butterfly’s two primary plants, locoweed and deerweed. These two plants have become scarce on the Peninsula in recent years due to the invasive nature of non-native plants.

“I’m really excited about this new project because it is the first time the club has received its own plot of land,” Choi said.

The HERO Club, through projects such as the Blue Butterfly Project, allows students to contribute significantly to the local environment.