 Dune buckwheat is the host plant to a large variety of insects, and thus there is intense competition among various insects.Specifically it is a host plant to ten different Lepidoptera species, including the El Segundo blue butterfly and Smith's blue butterfly; moreover, in the case of the El Segundo blue, it is the only host plant used by that species in all of its life stages.Because of the host relationship to number of insect species, "E. parvifolium" has been the subject of numerous restoration programs including a significant and well researched program at Los Angeles International Airport, one of only three extant colonies of the endangered El Segundo blue.