Amazon Park Rare Plants - Laserfiche WebLink

New Search

The pupa is initially deep green in color (which blends with the lupine foliage), eventually turning white and then pink. Ant tending of larvae is mostly absent and larvae tend to remain on the lupine foodplant during the day, feeding on the apical shoots underneath the larger leaves, and apparently never descend to the ground (Hammond 1994). Larvae appear to diapause within 1 cm. of the soil surface (Schultz 1996). Dispersal Biology: Anecdotal evidence indicates that Fender's blue may disperse as much as 5 -6 km (Hammond, pers. comm.). Census data from 1993 suggest that Fender's blue occasionally travel up to 100 m from a lupine patch and they tend to aggregate in the center of lupine patches (Schultz 1994). Stepping stones rather than a continuous corridor might be a preferred solution to insure adequate movement between populations. Nectar Sources: At Willow Creek, Fender's blue butterflies prefer nectaring on native flowers over non - native flowers (70.3% of the 182 observations). Important native nectar plants include Allium amplectens, Calochortus tolmiei, Camassia quamash, Eriophyllum lanatum, Geranium oreganum, and Sidalcea virgata. Several non - native species are also used as nectar sources, including Linum angustifolium, several species of Trifolium, and several species of Vicia. Potential Habitat Modifications: Pest plant control is a major priority for protecting the upland prairie habitat in which lupine and the Fender's blue butterfly occur. Cutting, mowing, hand pulling, prescribed burning, or herbicides, can be effective control measures against Scot's broom, blackberry, tall oatgrass, tall fescue, false -brome grass and bracken fern, species that can displace lupine; however it is imperative that the timing and type of control measure match the species and conditions so as not to harm lupine in the process. For example, early mowing of tall oatgrass would also harm lupine, thus a later mowing would be more appropriate. There is some concern that burning may facilitate the spread and growth of certain exotic species into native grasslands (Hammond and Wilson 1993). Burning could have a deleterious effect on the Fender's blue butterfly larvae since they appear to diapause within 1 cm. of the soil surface (Schultz 1996), therefore burning should be applied to a very small percentage of the habitat on a rotation basis. Large mowers may compact the soil and also injure diapausing larvae which suggests their use should be kept to a minimum. Predation and Disease: Little is known about predation rates and diseases of the Fender's blue butterfly. However, a small sample of larvae reared in captivity produced no parasites, suggesting there is a low rate of parasitism by aerial enemies (Hammond 1994). Information on Known Populations The following tables summarize the existing information on individual element occurrences in the Conservation Strategy area. For each species, the Element Occurrences are organized by ownership or management status. Within each ownership, the occurrences are listed roughly 15