The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began releasing rare Palos Verdes blue butterflies Friday morning, more than a decade after they were thought to be extinct.
The little butterfly is native to Southern California but was considered extinct by 1987. Ten years later, a small patch of them was discovered in san Pedro.
Since then, wildlife workers in several agencies have been breeding the blue butterflies in captivity and resetoring the butterfly's natural habitat -- leading up to Friday's release, which also happens to be the first day of spring.
