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For nearly half a century, the slight but striking Karner blue butterfly has been fluttering on the edge of extinction. First collected in 1861 in the hamlet of Karner, New York, the butterfly remained unclassified until 1941 when Vladimir Nabokov, famed writer, poet, and little known butterfly expert, christened the butterfly as Lycaeides melissa samuelis. By the time of his death in 1977, scientists had already begun to recognize the grave threat that this tiny winged creature faced.
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In just the past few decades, populations of the Karner blue have declined by over 95% throughout its habitat range, and many have thought it unlikely to survive. Destruction of critical habitat, the influx of aggressive invasive species, and the suppression of naturally occurring fires have all taken their toll on the “sea of blue.” Its plight shows how complex the problems of conservation can be, and why an intricate knowledge of a species' relationship with its habitat is imperative.
But all is not lost. Thanks to two different approaches by The Nature Conservancy in New York, the Karner blue is slowly but surely finding its way back home.
Dancing with Fire
Located in the heart of the Capital District Region, the Albany Pine Bush represents one of the best remaining examples of an inland pine barrens ecosystem in the world. The well-drained sandy soils and open areas host a variety of rare plant and animal species, including wild blue lupine, a beautiful wildflower which is critical to the survival of the federally endangered Karner blue butterfly. It is here that the Karner blue was first discovered, and here that the butterfly's prime habitat, which once covered as much as 40,000 contiguous acres, has been reduced to just over 3,000.
The Nature Conservancy, together with partners like the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission, has been working to turn the tide here, though. Since 1988, protected acreage of the Pine Bush has continued to increase, and, equally as important, The Albany Pine Bush Commission and The Nature Conservancy have been restoring the habitat to its former glory, which in this case means open areas devoid of invasive species and full of a Karner butterfly's most enchanting dream: wild blue lupine.
To achieve this, the Commission has taken on a variety of different restoration techniques, including old field restoration and invasive species management, but the most important and effective method remains prescribed burning. The pine barrens have always been a fire-dependent ecosystem requiring regularly occurring fires to maintain its unique character. By managing the pine bush with controlled fires, the natural community is rejuvenated, exotic plant species are driven out, food and habitat is increased for insects and other animals native to the pine bush, and wild lupine thrives.
To date, the Conservancy and the Commission have restored - and now actively manage - approximately 300 acres of the preserve and every year, the "sea of blue" grows. One restored site (a former parking lot) now supports more than 1000 Karner blue butterflies and across the preserve, counts have increased dramatically. The return of Nabokov's beloved blue to the restored areas of the pine bush is a promising indicator of successful habitat management, and a striking sign that the Conservancy and its partners have set the pine bush on the road to recovery.
Bulldozing for Butterflies
Thirty five miles north of the Albany Pine Bush lies the Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park (WWP&P), a stunning 1,600-acre protected site. Once the basin of a large glacial lake, this area is now characterized by gently rolling sand plains, small wetlands, and vernal pools. Colorful butterflies float gracefully through the air in the spring and summer, finding nourishment in the native lupine and wildflowers that cover the ground.
But things were not always this way.
Wilton Wildlife Preserve began life in 1996 as a small one-acre parcel in Saratoga County, with its future, thanks to back taxes owed, up for auction. The Nature Conservancy and the State Department of Environmental Conservation, knowing the parcel harbored the Karner blue butterfly, approached the Town of Wilton and asked if it would be willing to purchase the parcel and donate it to the Conservancy. Thanks to the vision and foresight of then-Supervisor Roy McDonald, the town decided to do just that, repaying the back taxes and using the single acre as the genesis of a 3,000-acre preserve for the butterfly and park for the community. Thus, Wilton Wildlife Preserve & Park was born in the heart of the Town of Wilton, New York State's second fastest growing municipality.
Today, the preserve covers nearly 2,000 acres and is home to a wide range of ecologically significant communities and species, including the state and federally endangered Karner blue butterfly. The management plan at WWP&P differs greatly from that in Albany; while the latter relies heavily on controlled burning, the former focuses on mechanical methods to restore native habitat. Land that has been altered over time by non-native species or development is first cleared, using heavy equipment including feller bunchers, skidders and chippers. Invasive plants and trees, like the white pine, are removed, roots and all.
Twelve to twenty-four months later, the site is planted with a mix of Glacial Lake Albany seed species, a variety of locally-derived native wildflowers (including wild blue lupine), prairie grasses, shrubs, and trees. As the flowers begin to blossom and the native flora and fauna begin to return to the renewed acres, wildlife also begins to trickle (or flutter) back to the area. This includes the tiny Karner blue, who's counts in the Wilton Wildlife Park & Preserve continue to increase each and every year.
In the 1980s, a group of New York State lawmakers tried to make the Karner blue butterfly the official insect of New York, but it lost out in favor of the ladybug, a propitious creature without the threat of extinction hanging over its head. While the Karner blue may have lost that battle, The Nature Conservancy in New York is working to ensure that it achieves victory elsewhere, in the fight against extinction.
Nature picture credits (top to bottom, left to right): Photo © Carly Voight (Karner blue butterfly); Photo © The Nature Conservancy (blue lupine).
