By Stacey Solie

When the concrete, the sweltering heat and fetid smells became too much, Manhattanites used to be able to hop onto a northbound train to Karner—a hamlet a few miles past Albany. 

Day-trippers wandered amidst the stunted, gnarled pitch pines in an area known as the Pine Bush and marveled at great clouds of blue butterflies flitting and hovering over violet meadow lupines. That was a century ago, when the population of Lycaeides melissa samuelis, known as the Karner blue, numbered in the millions.

Now, the railroad is defunct. For decades seasonal fires were doused before they could work their transformative magic on the land. The Pine Bush’s desert-like sandy soils were invaded by non-native shrubs and trees. And more recently, housing tracts have been nibbling at the edge of the pinelands, which now occupy 6,000 acres—a tenth of historic coverage. The clouds of blue have dissipated into a few butterflies here, a few there and in many former haunts, none at all.

No Lupines, No Karners

But through the concerted efforts of a vast coalition that created the Albany Pine Bush Preserve, the Karner blue has survived. And while working to protect and restore habitat for the butterfly, scientists are also unlocking secrets of the entire Pine Bush ecosystem and learning how all its species are adapting to human encroachment.

To restore lupines and other native plants, preserve managers methodically set seasonal fires to clear the brush and prime the land for new growth. The twisted pitch pines, which are adapted to the heat of fire, send out new shoots from their trunks. And after the blaze, lupines spring up and carpet the newly opened, sunny meadows, drawing flocks of Karner blues. Lupines are the only plants on which the butterfly lays its eggs and on which the caterpillars feed. 

Reaching Out

The commission considers education and outreach crucial to preserve management. Neil Gifford, conservation director of the preserve, goes to countless public meetings to explain why the commission does what it does. “If we were in a rural setting, we could simply manage the land as ecologically necessary,” Gifford says. “But to gain public support, we make exhaustive efforts to educate the public about land management and the central role of seasonal fires in creating habitat and assisting threatened species.” 

Postcards are mailed to more than 2,000 households before each prescribed fire season. Preserve staff reach out to students and other visitors who attend field trips and public programs at the new Discovery Center, and information kiosks welcome visitors to 18 miles of interpretive trails.

“It’s been incredibly successful,” Gifford says. “The people of Albany understand fire and the importance of our conservation work."

What's Good for the Butterfly...

As researchers are figuring out the special combination of elements needed to recreate butterfly habitat, the preserve’s other species are also benefiting. 

Songbirds like the prairie warbler are turning up in larger than expected numbers, as are rare reptiles like the Eastern hog-nose snake and natural predators like coyotes and fishers—large weasel-like creatures that prey on smaller rodents, porcupines and insects. Fishers were previously thought to only live in remote, undisturbed areas but seem to be adapting to human developments.

And the Karners are coming back. Since the work began in 1989, much has been learned about how to better restore Karner habitat. Today, within a few years of restoration, Tear says, “You can see hundreds of butterflies at some of our most recent sites.” Scientists believe there is more to learn, too, not only about restoring habitat, but also about breeding more butterflies in captivity. Tear concludes, “We are on the verge of a significant conservation success—returning this butterfly to the eastern edge of its historic range and benefiting many other species at the same time.”

So the conservation experiments continue, with the hope that when the secrets of the Pine Bush are unveiled, the great clouds of blue will return and the people who cherish this urban oasis will keep coming back.

Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Jeff Amadon (Albany Pine Bush); Photo © APBPC (Karner blue butterfly); Photo © APBPC (Discovery Center).