Endangered Species Coalition 2015 Top 10 Report Nominating Form
General Information
Nominating Organizations: Please use this Column to Provide the Requested Information
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Organization & Web address
The Caterpillar Lab
www.thecaterpillarlab.com
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Contact name for species info
Address
David Wagner; Jill S. Utrup
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
University of Connecticut
75 N. Eagleville Road, U-43
Storrs, CT 06269-3043
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Twin Cities Field Office
4101 American Boulevard East
Bloomington, MN 55425
4
Email & phone
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Communications staff contact name
Email & phone
david.wagner@uconn.edu (860) 486-2139; jill_utrup@fws.gov 612-725-3548 ext.
2207
Kathy Henley
Khenley18@gmail.com 303-601-7125
General Species Information
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Common name, genus, and species
Geographic range
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Conservation status
Karner Blue butterfly (Lycaeides Melissa samuelis)
The butterfly is most widespread in Wisconsin, and can be found in portions of Indiana
(may be expedited), Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, and Ohio.
The Karner blue butterfly was Federally listed as an endangered species in 1992.
The Karner blue is experiencing a decline primarily due to human activities such as
agriculture, urbanization and fire suppression. The sandy habitat essential to the blue
lupine, and therefore the Karner blue, occurs mostly along river valleys and outwash
plains. Because of the location and topography of such areas, they have been heavily
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies
favored as settlement sites. Extinctions of entire populations of the Karner blue have
occurred around large urban centers such as Chicago and New York City. Other
populations, such as those in the Albany Pine Bush, have been reduced both by habitat
destruction from urbanization and by loss of lupine through natural succession resulting
from fire suppression.
http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7118.html
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Karner blue butterflies once occurred in a nearly continuous narrow band across twelve states and the
province of Ontario, Canada, but it has been eliminated from at least five of those states and Ontario.
Today it is found in portions of New Hampshire, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and
Minnesota. Over the past century, the number of Karner blue butterflies has declined by at least 99
percent across their historic range.
Remaining population size
Reintroduction programs are ongoing in Ohio, and New Hampshire with the goal of establishing healthy
populations of the butterfly in those states.
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/insects/kbb/kbb_fact.html
Report Questions
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Do you have high-resolution photos that can
be used in the report?
Will you want printed reports? If so, how
many?
If your species is selected, will you use the
report as a tool to organize around the
species and/or publicize its plight?
Yes
~10
Yes
Public Engagement Questions (Please explain why the species is interesting, why it matters, why decision-makers + the public should care.)0
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Interesting facts about the species
The Karner blue butterfly (Lycaedes melissa samuelis) was first described more
than a century ago in Karner, New York. It is a small butterfly, with a wingspan of
about one inch. The male's wings are distinctively marked with a silvery or dark
blue color.
http://www.fws.gov/northeast/factshee.html
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies
Relationship to Wild Lupine: The Karner blue requires wild lupine (Lupinus perennis),
the only plant its caterpillar is known to feed on and therefore critical to the butterfly's
survival. The Karner blue usually lays two batches of eggs each year. Eggs laid the
previous summer hatch during mid-April when the lupine are first coming up. The
caterpillars feed on wild lupine leaves and are commonly tended by ants. It appears
the ants protect the caterpillars from some natural enemies and that the ants in return
collect a nectar from the caterpillar. Once mature, the caterpillars form a cocoon
around themselves; this happens about the end of May or early June. Within about
two weeks the adult butterflies emerge from their cocoon and begin laying eggs on the
lupine plants. The eggs are about 1 millimeter in diameter. When the caterpillars
hatch, they are tiny, only a few millimeters long
The caterpillar feeds on the lupine, matures, then forms a cocoon; adults again emerge
in July. By the time that these butterflies are ready to lay eggs, many of the lupine
plants have died back and eggs are laid on old lupine stems, on plant litter, and on
grass blades near wild lupine. By the end of August or early September all adult
butterflies have died. Their eggs overwinter and do not hatch until the following
spring.
Because their eggs fall to the ground or are laid on leaf litter, or on stems of lupine or
grasses that fall to the ground, it is the winter snows that protect the eggs from
freezing temperatures and from dehydration. The range of Karner blues only overlaps
with the range of wild lupine where there are long periods of winter snowpack. Wild
lupine is found in far more areas than Karner blues; its range extends across the Great
Lakes states and down the east coast to Florida.
Adult Karners feed on nectar from many different wildflower species, but because the
caterpillar can only successfully feed on wild lupine, the reproductive success of Karner
blue butterflies is critically dependent on the wild lupine.
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/insects/kbb/karnerbl.html
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies
15
Additional background information to
complete the species profile in the report
Appearance: The male and female of this small (wingspan of about one inch) butterfly
are different in appearance. The topside of the male is silvery or dark blue with narrow
black margins. The female is grayish brown, especially on the outer portions of the
wings, to blue on the topside, with irregular bands of orange crescents inside the
narrow black border. The underside of both sexes is gray with a continuous band of
orange crescents along the edges of both wings and with scattered black spots circled
with white.
Habitat: Historically, wildfires and grazing created and maintained savanna and
barrens ecosystems. Wildfires would kill, or set back, trees and shrubs, letting sunlight
onto the forest floor, creating grassy areas. These conditions would remain until
shrubs would start invading the grasslands, eventually shading out the grasses and
herbs and creating a forest. Historically, any one site did not remain as Karner blue
habitat. Instead, intermittent wild fires created a constantly changing patchwork of
these grassy openings across the landscape. Karners can fly up to about 1.4 miles
across open landscapes. So as a savanna began to be overtaken by trees and shrubs,
the butterflies would disperse to nearby openings that may have been recently
created by wildfire or were being maintained by grazing mammals such as bison.
Today, wildfires are practically nonexistent. The disturbance that wildfires once
created is now sometimes replicated by logging practices or mowing along power
lines and roadways where the rights-of-way are kept clear of trees and shrubs. On
some public lands, land managers use timber harvests, mowing, grazing, herbicides,
and controlled burns to manage for oak savannas or pine barrens.
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/insects/kbb/kbb_fact.html
http://www.fws.gov/northeast/factshee.html
16
What are the most important messages that
Over the years there has been up and downs in general doing better in WI, but in last few
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies
should be communicated about this species'
decline? Please be sure to indicate your
organization’s lead message that you would
like to be included in the report.
years the populations is declining in southern range. The population in the Indiana dunes may
be extinct. Researchers are doing a rigorous survey this year to determine the Indiana
population. The Karner blue is highly affected by climate change. Is their habitat going to
remain with the change? The warming climate is impacting the landscape and is this species
going to be able to stay where it is? There is also a concern about pesticides, but the main
concern is climate change and lack of connectivity to suitable habitat.
Mission Statement: The Caterpillar Lab fosters greater appreciation and care for the
complexity and beauty of our local natural history through live caterpillar educational
programs, research initiatives, and photography and film projects. We believe that an
increased awareness of one’s local environment is the foundation on which healthy and
responsible attitudes towards the broader natural systems of this world is built.
17
Is your NGO working to save the species? If
yes, how? (Optional)
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How can individuals help? Please be as
specific as possible.
The Caterpillar Lab is not directly working to save this species via field and research.
The Caterpillar Lab focuses on educating the public on a wide spread of New England
caterpillar species.’ General insect and caterpillar Conservation issues and methods
are part of our curriculum.
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Is there anything else that governments or
others could/should/are doing to save the
species?
Learn more about the Karner blue butterfly and other endangered and threatened species. Understand
how the destruction of habitat leads to loss of endangered and threatened species and our nation's
plant and animal diversity. Tell others about what you have learned.
Volunteer at a nearby zoo, nature center, or National Wildlife Refuge.
Join a conservation group; many have local chapters.
Plant a garden with flowers that attract butterflies. Use native plants in your lawn and gardens.
 Listing - The Karner blue butterfly was Federally listed as an endangered species in
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1992.
Recovery Plan - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prepared a Recovery Plan that
describes and prioritizes actions needed to conserve and restore this species. The
Service and its partners are implementing that Plan.
Research - Researchers are studying the Karner blue butterfly to find the best way
to manage for the butterfly and its habitat.
Habitat Protection - Where possible, the butterfly's habitat (pine and oak
savanna/barrens supporting wild lupine and nectar plants) is managed and
protected. Other kinds of animals and plants will also benefit from protection of
the butterfly's habitat.
Conservation Plans: States have prepared 5 year action plans for this species
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies

Reintroductions - Zoos are propagating Karner blues and those butterflies are
being released in suitable habitat in Ohio, Indiana and New Hampshire to start new
populations in areas where this butterfly had been extirpated.
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/insects/kbb/kbb_fact.html
Criteria-specific Questions – Please feel free to answer N/A or “see above/below” as appropriate. Please cite any substantiating scientific studies.
20
Describe the specific threat(s) to the species.
Habitat throughout the range of the Karner blue has been lost through human
activity to suppress wildfire, cultivate forests and develop communities. The
remaining habitat has been divided into small, separated segments. This
fragmentation of remaining habitat prevents the Karner blue from moving and
spreading, resulting in small populations that are isolated from each other. The
Karner blue butterfly’s habitat needs are very specific and it is unable to adapt to
the human-caused changes in its environment. Habitat fragmentation and loss,
combined with the extremely small size of the remaining population, are the
greatest threats to the Karner blue butterfly’s continued existence in the Northeast
and elsewhere in the country.
http://www.fws.gov/northeast/factshee.html
The Karner blue habitat in the Albany Pine Bush, which once covered as much as 40,00 continuous acres,
has been reduced to 2,000 acres. These 2,000 acres are dissected by barriers to butterfly dispersal such as
roads and buildings and are subject to disturbance by off-road vehicles and horseback riding. The pine
barrens in New Hampshire have largely been destroyed as a result of industrial, commercial, and
residential development; road and airport construction; and gravel and sand mining.
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/insects/kbb/karnerbl.html
http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7118.html
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies
21
Why is it in need of greater connectivity?
map created by The Nature Conservancy of Eastern NY
The Karner blue is found in scattered habitats from Minnesota to New Hampshire.
Within its range, this species is restricted to dry sandy areas with open woods and clearings
supporting wild blue lupine. Barriers to butterfly dispersal such as roads and buildings
mostly dissect these habitats. The pine barrens in New Hampshire have largely been
destroyed as a result of building development and road construction.
Research is needed to develop methods of enhancing or creating habitat suitable for the
Karner blue butterfly, in particular, the establishment and propagation of wild blue lupine.
Methods used to establish or restore appropriate habitat conditions for blue lupine and the
Karner blue include mowing and controlled burning.
Corridors between habitats will allow for safe dispersal to find more suitable habitats and
increase population size. But for this species (and many others) corridors may already be
in place in the form of power line cuts. Historically the required disturbances were big
blow-downs from big storms or fire.
Power line corridors crisscross New England’s rolling landscape allowing habitats to be
connected region wide. These actively human disturbed sites are home to native plant and
animal life that require open woods and clearings. This is especially important in the
Northeast where there is high human population density.
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies
The disturbance power companies make to insure tress do not interfere with their towers,
is what maintains the open wooded habitat required of the Karner blue butterfly. Power
line corridors are also a perfect habitat for milkweed, a genus of plants critically important
to monarch butterflies. With the hard dirty work already done, what is need is cooperation from the power line companies to properly maintain these sites and planting
wild lupine trees.
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Is its geographic range shifting?
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Is there concern around the cyclical/seasonal
life of the species and its interactions within
ecosystems?
Does it have isolated populations?
Is it at risk of low genetic diversity?
Does it face a current, imminent, or
future threat?
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Indicate if there is an associated political
threat. For instance, is this species being
actively attacked by an industry group or
http://wnpr.org/post/think-cutting-back-forests-power-lines-connecticut-alwaysbad-think-again#stream/0
http://today.uconn.edu/2014/09/power-lines-offer-environmental-benefitsuconn-study/
http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7118.html
Wagner, D. L., K. J. Metzler, S. A. Leicht-Young, and G. Motzkin. Vegetation
composition along a New England transmission line corridor and its implications for
other trophic levels. For. Ecol. & Manag
Wagner, D. L., J. S. Ascher, and N. Bricker. A powerline right-of-way as habitat for
wild bees in southern New England (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila). Ann.
Entomol. Soc. Amer.
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Yes. It is getting smaller as lupine forests get smaller and more fragmented due to
climate change and human development.
Yes. Since the Karner blue relies so heavily on lupine forests, if this habitat is
destroyed so will this species of butterfly. There is a strong concern for how the
lupine, oak savannah habitat will interact with the changing climate.
yes
Yes.
This species is in immediate threat due to the lack of proper management to its
habitat. Future risk, is if proper management and habitat is not created and done
properly. There is also the risk of habitat destruction do to the changing climate.
no
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies
member of Congress?
Judge’s Score for Severity and Extent of Threat:
3
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Detail information on any social or economic
benefits the species provides—e.g., its value
for recreation or as a subject of scientific
research. (Optional)
29
Detail the ecological importance of the
species (e.g., is it a keystone species?).
30
Describe how the species could be
considered an "ambassador" or “flagship”
species to enlist public support for
conservation.
The Karner blue butterfly's rarity and beauty make it a desirable addition to butterfly
collections. Because butterfly numbers are so low, the collection of even a few individuals
could harm the butterfly population. Thus, physical collection has been made illegal, but
many butterfly watchers come to see this beauty first hand. Photography is also a popular
recreation for this species. Many research studies have been and are being conducted on
the Karner blue. Current studies are evaluation its current range and population numbers.
Climate change affects are also a high priority subject for Karner blue research studies.
The Karner blue is an indicator species for pine barrens and oak savannah habitat. The Karner
blue is not be found in degraded habitats/areas. Thus, not only do they require the limited
habitat of lupine forests, but they must be healthy forests as well.
0
The savanna and barrens ecosystems that support Karner blue butterflies are almost as
rare as the butterfly itself. There are also many other plant and animal species that use
these ecosystems for all or part of their life cycle. The rarest of these include: in the
eastern United States, the Persius duskywing (Erynnis persius) and the frosted elfin (Incisalia
irus). These are butterflies that also depend on the wild lupine of the pine barrens and oak
savanna ecosystems. In Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan savannas and/or
barrens provide habitat for the phlox moth, eastern massasauga rattlesnake, Blanding's
turtle, loggerhead shrike, and prairie fame flower, all of which appear to be species with
declining numbers.
Judge’s Score for Importance of Species
Judge’s Final Score
Please submit to top10@endangered.org, and thank you for participating in the 2015 Top 10 Report.
Please cite any substantiating scientific studies