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California possesses serpentine grasslands, oak forests, vernal pools and a variety of other unique habitats on its coast, mountains, rivers, lakes and deserts. These habitats support an incredible diversity of plants and animals, many of which are found nowhere else on the planet. When these factors are combined with one of the largest growing human populations in the country, the result is the highest number of extinct and imperiled species in the continental United States.
Without question, the Golden State is an epicenter of extinction.
The former curator of entomology at the Los Angeles County Museum wrote that in 1940, 25 different types of butterflies could easily be seen in a single day fluttering outside of his office. Today, an astute observer would be extremely lucky to see three species on the grounds of the museum.