Changes in the Butterflies (Lepidoptera) of Winneshiek County, Iowa After 90 Years

In 1908, Bert Porter reported the presence of 73 species of butterflies in the Decorah, Iowa area. Since then, no systematic surveys of the butterflies in the Decorah area have been completed despite extensive habitat changes and degradation of native prairie and timber that have occurred over the past 90 years. In 1998, an extensive survey of the butterflies of Winneshiek County confirmed the presence of 55 species of butterflies. Our findings generated a checklist of the butterflies currently found in Winneshiek County, and were compared to Porter\u27s original list. Unfortunately, the regal fritillary, Speyeria idalia, and several other butterfly species found in 1908 apparently no longer occur in the Decorah area

Butterflies and Rebirth

During the Renaissance, collectors saw Morpho butterflies as beautiful, elegant, and rare creatures. Their exotic origin and sophistication made these fascinating creatures the subjects of scientific observation, decoration, and symbolism. Butterflies of the Morpho genus include a wide variety of marvelous, striking, and beautiful species. Home to South and Central America, Morpho butterflies thrive in the rainforests of Nicaragua, Colombia, and Venezuela. When Renaissance Europeans began exploring American rainforests, they were quickly captivated by these butterflies. Morphos feature vivid blue coloration and iridescence on the dorsal side of their wings as well as a yellow-brown coloration on the other side. [excerpt

Butterflies of the Rocky Mountain States. Edited by Clifford D. Ferris and F. Martin Brown. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. 464 pages, incl. 4 color plates. 1981. 35.00(cloth),35.00 (cloth), 15.95 (paper).

(excerpt) The long awaited guide to the butterflies of the Rocky Mountains will be received with great delight by many lepidopterists who collect butterflies in this rugged and beautiful region

The First Records in Illinois of \u3ci\u3eHeliconius Charitonius\u3c/i\u3e (Lepidoptera: Heliconiidae) and \u3ci\u3ePhoebis Agarithe\u3c/i\u3e (Lepidoptera: Pieridae)

(excerpt) Our key to Illinois butterflies, exclusive of the skippers (Hesperiidae), was published in 1980. It includes those butterflies listed by Irwin and Downey in their 1973 Illinois checklist plus two species,Anaea aidea (Guerin-Meneville) (Nymphalidae) and Celastrina ebenina Clench (Lycaenidae), added to the state list after 1973

Non-random dispersal in the butterfly Maniola jurtina: implications for metapopulation models

The dispersal patterns of animals are important in metapopulation ecology because they affect the dynamics and survival of populations. Theoretical models assume random dispersal but little is known in practice about the dispersal behaviour of individual animals or the strategy by which dispersers locate distant habitat patches. In the present study, we released individual meadow brown butterflies (Maniola jurtina) in a non-habitat and investigated their ability to return to a suitable habitat. The results provided three reasons for supposing that meadow brown butterflies do not seek habitat by means of random flight. First, when released within the range of their normal dispersal distances, the butterflies orientated towards suitable habitat at a higher rate than expected at random. Second, when released at larger distances from their habitat, they used a non-random, systematic, search strategy in which they flew in loops around the release point and returned periodically to it. Third, butterflies returned to a familiar habitat patch rather than a non-familiar one when given a choice. If dispersers actively orientate towards or search systematically for distant habitat, this may be problematic for existing metapopulation models, including models of the evolution of dispersal rates in metapopulations

Correspondence of butterfly and host plant diversity: Foundation for habitat restoration and conservation

At a spatial scale, the diversity of butterflies varies with numerous factors including the availability of the host plant species. In parity with this proposition, the correspondence of diversity of butterfly and plant in the background of the urban–rural gradient was evaluated using Kolkata, India, as a model study area. The results reveal significant positive correlation between the diversity of butterflies and the plants, with the different values for the suburban, rural, and urban areas. Identification of the butterfly loads for the plants in the respective areas can be useful in enhancing the conservation of the butterflies through enhanced plantation of the concerned plant species. Alternatively, the disclosure of the generalist and specialist pattern of the plant species preference by the butterflies may be useful in enhancing the population of the respective species in the concerned areas. The conservation strategy for butterfly species may be refined through the use of both or any one of the quantitative assessment of the butterfly–plant links in the urban–rural gradient in Kolkata, India, and similar places in the world

The Capability of Some Butterflies as Carriers of Common Milkweed Pollen

The common milkweed, Asclepias syriaca L., is remarkably adapted for cross pollination by insects. Its pollen sacs (pollinia) are often found attached to the appendages of bees, wasps, butterflies, and other insects that visit milkweed for its nectar (Judd, 1955; Matheson, 1951 ; Muller, 1883). In the summer of 1966 and 1967 I collected numerous pierid and nymphalid butterflies associated with milkweed plants in Michigan in order to examine them for their pollen-carrying capability. Species of butterflies collected were Colias interior Scudder, C. eurytheme Boisduval, Pieris rapae (L.). and Speyeria aphrodite (Fab.). These insects were taken while feeding on or flying near milkweed plants between 3 July and 22 July each year--the period when milkweed was in full bloom--in Crawford, Montmorency, and Oscoda Counties, Michigan

Garden varieties: how attractive are recommended garden plants to butterflies?

One way the public can engage in insect conservation is through wildlife gardening, including the growing of insect-friendly flowers as sources of nectar. However, plant varieties differ in the types of insects they attract. To determine which garden plants attracted which butterflies, we counted butterflies nectaring on 11 varieties of summer-flowering garden plants in a rural garden in East Sussex, UK. These plants were all from a list of 100 varieties considered attractive to British butterflies, and included the five varieties specifically listed by the UK charity Butterfly Conservation as best for summer nectar. A total of 2659 flower visits from 14 butterfly and one moth species were observed. We performed a principal components analysis which showed contrasting patterns between the species attracted to Origanum vulgare and Buddleia davidii. The “butterfly bush” Buddleia attracted many nymphalines, such as the peacock, Inachis io, but very few satyrines such as the gatekeeper, Pyronia tithonus, which mostly visited Origanum. Eupatorium cannibinum had the highest Simpson’s Diversity score of 0.75, while Buddleia and Origanum were lower, scoring 0.66 and 0.50 respectively. No one plant was good at attracting all observed butterfly species, as each attracted only a subset of the butterfly community. We conclude that to create a butterfly-friendly garden, a variety of plant species are required as nectar sources for butterflies. Furthermore, garden plant recommendations can probably benefit from being more precise as to the species of butterfly they attract