The Karner blue butterfly is a native pollinator that was listed as an endangered species in 1992. Recently this spring, there was no sign of the Karner blue at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, which is where the Karner blue’s natural habitat is located. Due to the rapidly declining numbers, officials are afraid that these tiny forces could be gone.
The wild lupine plant is the Karner blue’s main food source during its caterpillar years. Since the degradation of the wild lupine plant, researchers have related plant die-offs to the declining number of the Karner blue butterfly species.
Scientists at the USGS surveyed federal parks along Lake Michigan in the late 1990s, finding more than 1,000 butterflies. Those numbers have been reduced to the point that only two were spotted last year.
The butterflies were reintroduced in Ohio and New Hampshire, and recorded in Wisconsin, Michigan and New York this year. USGS scientists are at the forefront in aiding the rehabilitation of the Karner blue in the United States, providing key information and science to decision makers. Learn more athttp://on.doi.gov/1dS6QTZ
Read more about the Karner blue's decline:http://on.doi.gov/1GoKaac
#PollinatorWeek #pollinators #butterflies
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