Now entirely fenced-off from the public, the El Segundo Butterfly Preserve is a wildlife sanctuary dedicated to the endangered El Segundo Blue Butterfly.

The preserve is located on the remains the ghost town of Surfridge, California. Surfridge was once a wealthy beachfront enclave neighborhood and was frequented by Hollywood’s elite include Cecil B. De Mille, Mel Blanc, and Mae Murray.

Today a four-mile path surrounds the perimeter of the preserve and is an excellent place to see the ocean, watch planes take off and land at LAX, and see the remains of Surfridge and the reclaimed habitat of the El Segundo Blue Butterfly. The best time to see butterflies is during the later summer months when an estimated 125,000 butterflies now take flight within the preserve.