New plaque details how Norma Gibbs Butterfly Park in Huntington Beach regained its wings

Leslie Gilson still remembers attending a Huntington Beach City Council meeting in February 2007.

She said she put caged butterflies on the dais and asked the council members why they didn’t manage Norma Brandel Gibbs Butterfly Park, which had previously been a sanctuary for migrating monarch butterflies.

She remembers talking to two women right afterward. Jean Nagy told her that she needed to join the Huntington Beach Tree Society. And Priscilla Cruz told her that those weren’t monarchs that she’d taken into the council meeting, as Gilson had thought.

“This began my journey,� Gilson said with a smile. “I had to learn about the monarchs.�

Artwork featuring monarch butterflies greets visitors to Norma Gibbs Butterfly Park in Huntington Beach.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Gilson and others were honored for their years of efforts on Wednesday. Huntington Beach unveiled a chronological plaque in Gibbs Butterfly Park, highlighting volunteer efforts to revitalize it and restore the presence of monarch butterflies.

Gilson served as Gibbs Butterfly Park restoration coordinator for nearly 15 years, becoming known as “the butterfly lady.� Her initial effort helped get dying eucalyptus trees replaced with butterfly-attracting milkweed and other shrubs and flowers.

The first trees, in the north bed, were purchased and planted by the Tree Society. In 2009, the south bed was planted and more trees were added.

Leslie Gilson, who spearheaded the effort to rehabilitate Norma Gibbs Butterfly Park in Huntington Beach, poses for a photo on Wednesday.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

The monarch butterflies, which had long used Gibbs Park as a migration route from Canada during cool months of the year, started to come back.

In 2011, eight monarch butterfly life cycle medallions designed by local artist Lubica Selecka were installed around the large mosaic in the front of the park, which was also restored and enhanced. More recently, in 2022, Selecka had pylons at the park’s entrance restored and adorned with ceramic butterflies.

“They were in bad shape,� said Selecka, who lives in Costa Mesa. “We put a new finish, new paint and of course my artwork.�

She added that she’s hopeful the pylons at the center of the park, close to where the new plaque is located, can also be decorated in the future.

Educational tiles of monarch butterflies are featured at Norma Gibbs Butterfly Park in Huntington Beach.

(Don Leach)

Wednesday’s ceremony was attended by officials including Huntington Beach Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark, Mayor Pro Tem Pat Burns and City Council members Natalie Moser and Dan Kalmick.

“Through planting the appropriate plant species and creating a habitat conducive to their life cycle, we have provided a safe haven for these majestic creatures during their long journey,� Van Der Mark said during her comments. “The return of the monarch butterfly to Gibbs Park is a testament to what we can achieve when communities come together with a common purpose.�

Gilson thanked all of the volunteers she worked with over the years, including Tree Society founder Nagy and park education coordinator Tina Stevenson.

Chris Cole, facilities and development manager for the community and library services department, said during his introduction that was a special day for him as well. He lives close by Gibbs Park, and was married there in 2001.

Local artist Lubica Selecka, who created the butterfly tiles in Norma Gibbs Park, attended Wednesday’s ceremony.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

He also shared that he was friends with the park’s namesake, Norma Gibbs, who was Huntington Beach’s first female council member and mayor during the 1970s. Gibbs died in 2019 at the age of 94.

Rain threatened to dampen Wednesday’s proceedings, but it held off until the afternoon.

“She’s right up there,� Gilson said, referring to Gibbs and pointing upward. “She held the rain for us.�