As of 2013[update], they were found in numbers in Alpine County, California, at the 9,000 foot (2,700 m) level in the Sierra Nevada range.

In late summer, female butterflies are captured after they have mated and then transferred to a facility where they are induced to lay eggs.

After the eggs hatch, the larvae are stored in a refrigerator over winter in order to replicate the conditions of the season.

Other programs that are being implemented to help the wild population include the regular mowing of meadows by private home owners, and especially habitat restoration for properties owned by the U.S.

One of the most essential components of the Speyeria zerene habitat is the blue violet, or Viola adunca; it is used for the food and shelter of the early stages of a larva's life.

These nurseries are mainly used to provide food for the larvae reared in these facilities, but some violets are also transported and planted in restoration sites.

When the larva emerges in the spring the diet consists solely on the leaves of the blue violet (Viola adunca).