Checkerspot Butterfly
Request Fund
Proposed Habitat: Lake Needwood
in Rock Creek Regional Park
History and Facts about the
Checkerspot Butterfly
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Most of the Checkerspot Butterfly population is in Baltimore, MD
The Checkerspot Butterfly lives in moist, boggy, wet places
The Checkerspot Butterfly is black with red-orange crescents on the outer
margins of its wings with lots of creamy white spots
Their wingspan is between 1 3/4 and 2 3/4 inches (4.5 - 7 cm)
Boys live near the ground in order to attract females - this is so they can
reproduce
Eggs are laid under host plants in groups of 100-700
The Checkerspot caterpillars hibernate in rolled up leaves on the ground
If plants like turtlehead are not available, the caterpillars may wander to find
plants such as lousewort
They are an official insect of the U.S.A.
They have been the official arthropodic emblem of the state since 1973
They were named after a colonist whose crest was orange and black
Its “scientific name” is Euphydryas Phaeton
Abiotic Factors Necessary for
Survival
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Nectar
Water
Marshy lands
Sunlight
Wooded areas
Biotic Factors Necessary for Survival
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Plants such as Turtlehead (as host plants)
Milkweed, viburnum, and wild rose (for nectar)
Host plants like hairy beardtongue (Penstemon
hirsutus), English plantain (Plantago lanceolata), and
false foxglove (Aureolaria)
Bumble bees to pollinate the plants that they
need
Trees
Description of Habitat
Habitat Needs
 Tall Turtlehead plants-so that they can lay their eggs there
 Wet meadows
 Nectar
 Bogs
 Wooded area-to hide
 Need 18-22 in. of rain from mid-march to the end of April
What Habitat Has
 Wet meadows/bogs
 Marshes
NAME OF HABITAT: Lake Needwood in Rock Creek Regional Park
 Nectar
 Bogs
 Turtlehead plant
 Wooded area
 Rain
 We are going to plant tons of turtlehead, milkweed, viburnum, etc. to make sure that
there is enough flowers to provide for the butterfly, and its competition
 A protected area of turtlehead plants so that the deer cannot eat the eggs that the
checkerspot lays them on.
Food Web
(Predator)
Owls
(Predator)
Foxes
(Predator)
Wasps
(Predator)
Birds
Cottontail rabbits Deer Checkerspot Butterfly
(Prey)
(Competition)
(Prey)
(Competition)
Plants such as Turtlehead and Milkweed
What happened to their old habitat
so that they now need to move?
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A great amount of their habitat was lost to
construction
Deer eat the turtlehead with the Checkerspot
Butterflies’ eggs on it, therefore making it hard
for the butterflies to reproduce
In a typical year, only 1% - 2% of the
Checkerspot butterflies actually live
Why is their population
declining?
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The deer are eating all their eggs making it hard
for new butterflies to grow, survive, and
reproduce
Also, their old habitat and some butterflies were
lost to construction making it almost impossible
for them to survive
Why do we need to move them now?
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The Checkerspot Butterfly’s population is very
low and we need to conserve it before it is
completely gone
What is the environmental impact of
the reintroduction of the butterfly?
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Their competition, deer and Cottontail rabbits,
will have to compete for food
They will help the plants in the park thrive
The deer may continue to populate because
there will be the Checkerspot Butterflies’ eggs
for them to eat
What would the worst case scenario
be?
The worst case scenario for the Checkerspot Butterfly
could be that its necessary biotic factors are destroyed.
For example, if there were pesticides, which kill them,
sprayed on the Milkweed, the deer, cottontail rabbits,
and the Checkerspot Butterflies, would not be able to
use it, creating more competition for it. More
competition means less chance of the butterflies being
able to get it. Without the food, the animals that eat it
would start to die off. If those animals die off, then
their predators would not have enough to eat and they
would begin to die off, and so on.
Why won’t the reintroduction of the
butterfly damage the habitat?
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The butterfly pollinates which will help the
park’s plants thrive, stay pretty, and stay healthy
because of the pollination
When it uses plants to host eggs, such as
turtlehead, the plant “gains nourishment” (a.k.a.
“benefits”)
The eggs supply food for deer