Save the Pipevine

Help us protect critical habitat for the California pipevine swallowtail butterfly at UC Berkeley.

California pipevine swallowtail caterpillar (Battus philenor hirsuta) — black with rows of orange tubercles — feeding on a California pipevine (Aristolochia californica) leaf along Strawberry Creek at UC Berkeley

The Issue

UC Berkeley's ongoing and planned construction threatens one of the last remaining populations of California pipevine (Aristolochia californica) on campus — the sole larval host plant of the endangered California pipevine swallowtail butterfly (Battus philenor hirsuta). Without this plant, the butterfly cannot survive in the area.

A California pipevine swallowtail chrysalis, camouflaged as a curled dead leaf, attached to active construction scaffolding along Strawberry Creek on the UC Berkeley campus
A pipevine swallowtail chrysalis clings to a wall feet from active construction — the exact conflict at the heart of this campaign.

What's a Pipevine?

California pipevine is a native woody vine with distinctive pipe-shaped flowers. It grows in oak woodlands, riparian areas, and shaded slopes throughout the Coast Ranges. It is the only larval food plant for the California pipevine swallowtail, a subspecies found only in California. Without a robust population of this vine, the butterfly cannot reproduce.

California pipevine (Aristolochia californica) foliage — heart-shaped green leaves of the native vine that is the sole larval host plant of the pipevine swallowtail, growing along Strawberry Creek at UC Berkeley

Our Project

WHRFund is conducting weekly volunteer restoration sessions at Eshleman Road & South Hall Road, Berkeley, planting California pipevine cuttings and seeds in areas adjacent to existing habitat. We work with University facilities staff to identify safe planting sites and monitor plant survival.

A California pipevine (Aristolochia californica) restoration planting site with young native plantings marked along the roadside beside Strawberry Creek on the UC Berkeley campus

What We Are Asking For

  1. A formal habitat survey of all California pipevine populations on campus before any new construction begins, with results made public.
  2. A no-disturbance buffer around known pipevine populations during the butterfly's flight and oviposition season (March–October).
  3. Mitigation plantings: for every pipevine plant removed or damaged by construction, ten replacement plants installed in a suitable adjacent site, with a 3-year monitoring commitment.
  4. A campus pollinator stewardship plan developed with community input and implemented within 18 months.

Help Us Save the Pipevine

You can help in two ways: volunteer at our weekly restoration events, or contact UC Berkeley administration directly.

Join a Restoration EventContact WHRFund

Contact UC Berkeley

Let UC Berkeley leadership know this matters to you. Emails from community members make a real difference.

Chancellor's Office
chancellor@berkeley.edu

Jennifer Loy, Capital Strategies
jenloy@berkeley.edu

Mailing Address
Office of the Chancellor
200 California Hall
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1500

Phone: (510) 642-7464

Suggested Message

Dear Chancellor,

I'm writing to urge UC Berkeley to take immediate steps to protect the California pipevine (Aristolochia californica) populations on campus. These plants are the sole larval host of the California pipevine swallowtail butterfly (Battus philenor hirsuta), a California-endemic subspecies of conservation concern. Campus construction has already reduced this habitat significantly. I ask that the University conduct a formal survey, establish no-disturbance buffers, and commit to mitigation plantings for any impacts. This is an opportunity for UC Berkeley to demonstrate environmental leadership in its own backyard.

Thank you for your consideration.