A federally Endangered subspecies of the Melissa blue, dependent entirely on wild lupine as its caterpillar host plant. Their fate is inseparable from the fate of fire-managed savanna.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The Karner blue is an endangered species of small blue butterfly found in some Great Lakes states, small areas of New Jersey, the Capital District region of New York, and southern New Hampshire in the United States. The butterfly, whose life cycle depends on the wild blue lupine flower, was classified as an endangered species in the United States in 1992.
Source: Wikipedia — Karner blue Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Tiny butterfly with deep iridescent blue uppersides and orange-and-black-spotted undersides.
Similar species. Other Lycaenidae blues are similar. Eastern Tailed-Blue has tails.
Voice. N/A
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Adults: nectar from wild lupine, butterfly weed, other open-meadow flowers. Caterpillars: only wild lupine (Lupinus perennis).
Behavior. Federally endangered. Two broods per year. Caterpillars tended by ants in exchange for honeydew.
§ Range
Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Minnesota, New Hampshire
§ Habitat
Oak savannas, pine barrens with native lupine — fire-maintained habitat
§ Threats
Loss of fire-managed oak savanna, decline of wild lupine, herbicide drift, habitat fragmentation.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the karner blue butterfly is currently classified as Vulnerable.
§ What helps
Support prescribed fire programs. Plant native wild lupine (NOT bigleaf or garden lupine). Donate to Karner Blue Habitat Conservation Plans.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Karner blue
- www.fws.gov — authoritative profile of Plebejus melissa samuelis
- iNaturalist · taxon 118026
- IUCN Red List — search for Plebejus melissa samuelis
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Plebejus melissa samuelis
§ Sources cited
- USFWS Karner Blue Recovery
- Wisconsin DNR
- iNaturalist
