Sarah Ainsworth Studio

Last week, I got to start official butterfly counting training. When I complete the 20 hours, plus pass a test, I will have a permit to monitor/count our endangered El Segundo Blue butterfly. One key element is being able to tell apart these similar species, which can be tricky when they’re in flight! There are some obvious differences if you can get close enough to see. Their flight patterns can be a little different, and Marine blues are a tiny bit bigger than ES Blues, not that it’s obvious if you haven’t spent hundreds of hours looking at them. Fortunately, last week’s training took place in a location that features both species, which made it easier to fix in-flight differences in my brain. Did you spot the differences in the last species?
All shot with a Pentax K1 and macro lens. On this, my 4th year, I’m finally starting to catch some in flight. They are far worse than hummingbirds, and I’d really like to borrow a high speed camera to do some filming. If you know of a loaner program, let me know.
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Another habitat with confirmed emergence of endangered El Segundo blue butterflies. Also spotted: a Western Pygmy Blue, the smallest butterfly in the world! May 24, 2026! On the Manhattan Beach Dunes restoration area just south of El Porto.

This is my 4th year documenting the endangered El Segundo Blue butterfly. And the first time I’ve seen them this early in the year. I visited the habitat yesterday, and wound up with two of my three bucket list shots for this year. These guys are so tiny and move so fast and erratically that it’s very difficult to catch them in flight. Of the ~350 photos of them on there are only three or four now with a butterfly in flight. The first two images here are two of those. And this first one is one I thought would be impossible. It’s the most in-focus in-flight image I’ve taken and it’s just sheer dumb luck over thousands of shutter clicks. I’m shocked it happened at 1/400 shutter speed handheld. I’ve been thinking I’d need to take a high powered flash down and put the camera on a tripod and do the old spray-and-pray method. First two pics shot on a Pentax K1 with a macro lens. Pics 3 & 4 shot in the 2024 season with a wide angle. Vid shot yesterday on my phone. Keep an eye out for these tiny cuties when you’re on the bike path near the youth center!
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What my phone sees versus what I’m looking at.

Yesterday, I posted a picture of the Point Vicente lighthouse that I took three minutes before this one: look at what a difference three minutes can make! If you go down there with a good pair of binoculars, you might be able to see whales and dolphins passing by. The is out every day counting migrating whales! It’s very cool.

And yes, I know the world is going to hell in a handbasket, but we also need to remember what is worth living for.

I have a camera lens that I want to love but don't. Every once in a while, I pull it out and play with it. I was photographing the flowers along the fence when my boys came outside and the puppy laid down in this lovely light. If only I'd been able to get similar light on the flowers!