Equus Ferus Przewalski- Steel Humphry

Don't Forget the Butterflies
 by Shelby Adams

Bay Checkerspot Butterfly Close-Up

       The Bay Checkerspot Butterfly (Euphydryas editha bayensis) is a threatened species which resides mainly in the San Francisco Bay area. It is a subspecies of the Nymphalidae family, and can be distinguished by its red, yellow, and white spots with black bands on its veins and upper wings, and a wingspan of about 2 inches. The insects' life cycle typically spans about one year, and depends largely on the host plants, the main ones being Plantango erecta, Castilleja exserta, and Castilleja densiflora. The emergence, feeding, and mating of the butterflies depends on these plants; without them they cannot lay eggs. Male butterflies can mate multiple times, while females will only mate once (Elam). 

Map of Current and Past Habitats

Geography and Population 

       Habitat for the bay checkerspot consists of serpentine outcrops in the San Francisco Bay area, ranging from Twin Peaks and Contra Costa County through Santa Clara County at their peak. However, populations have now gone extinct in Contra Costa County, Alameda County, San Francisco County, Buri Buri Ridge, Pulgas Ridge, ad Redwood City. This is largely due to metapopulations, or populations that can exchange dispersing individuals, resulting in "interdependent extinction and colonization processes". Five core areas for the bay checkerspot exist today in San Francisco peninsula, San Mateo County, and Santa Clara County, and two of these groups have been identified as metapopulations (Santa Clara and San Mateo). The exact population of the species is difficult to quantify, as it fluctuates largely from year to year due to weather conditions (Elam).The Bay Checkerspot Butterfly (Euphydryas editha bayensis) is a threatened species which resides mainly in the San Francisco Bay area. It is a subspecies of the Nymphalidae family, and can be distinguished by its red, yellow, and white spots with black bands on its veins and upper wings, and a wingspan of about 2 inches. The insects' life cycle typically spans about one year, and depends largely on the host plants, the main ones being Plantango erecta, Castilleja exserta, and Castilleja densiflora. The emergence, feeding, and mating of the butterflies depends on these plants; without them they cannot lay eggs. Male butterflies can mate multiple times, while females will only mate once (Elam). 



Listing

Italian Rye Grass

      The Bay Checkerspot Butterfly has been listed as a threatened species, since June 18, 1987 (EPA). Although they are not endangered at the moment, the species is likely to become so if current conditions persist. One of the main causes of the listing is habitat loss and degradation brought on by the emergence of non-native plants such as Italian rye grass through nitrogen-deposition. Habitat loss and degradation has also been caused by urban development of the area, freeway construction being on of the largest issues. Smaller populations of bay checkerspots are more susceptible to weather fluctuations such as drought, which has been a common occurrence throughout California in recent years. Overgrazing from livestock has also been a cause for decline, as the animals take away from the butterflies' habitaT (Elam).

Main Threats to Existence

Metcalf Road near Bay Checkerspot Habitat

In addition to the reasons for the species' listing, remaining bay checkerspot populations are in a constant battle for survival due to multiple factors. Habitat loss and degradation continues to be a large threat to their survival as current and proposed construction projects for housing, road maintenance, and recreation adversely affect the serpentine habitat. Invasive grassland species have become a more prominent threat to the butterflies, the major detrimental plants expanding to include Yellow Star Thistle and certain species of eucalyptus. These impacts are increased by the fertilization (possibly through pollution) and watering of these plants, which in turn suppress the native species. Grazing and fires have emerged as a threat, again by reducing the native plant population and habitat for the bay checkerspot. The use of pesticides near habitat areas are "likely to be at risk from pesticide drift", and spraying directly on populations has occurred in the past. The species has the potential to be sensitive to climate change, mainly temperature and rainfall fluctuations, both of which have been occurring with more frequency throughout California. Reports of illegal collecting have been documented by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and has had a large impact on smaller bay checkerspot populations, whose reduction in numbers has a larger impact than more established groups. Finally, butterfly roadkill has severely increased in recent years, as roads are constructed closer and closer to the insects' habitat (Elam).

Recovery Plan 

The US Fish and Wildlife Service created a recovery plan for the Bay Checkerspot Butterfly in 1998, outlining the following strategy for conservation and survival:

• Vegetation management - Develop techniques to increase survival and reproduction through research into grazing management and biological control.
• Air pollution - Conduct research on nitrogen deposition (and other pollutants) in the populated areas, and develop solutions to reduce/eliminate the affects.
• Habitat restoration - Determine the likelihood of serpentine restoration and implementation methods if possible. 
• Artificial rearing - Develop methods of breeding Bay Checkerspot Butterflies in order to produce populations to be reintroduced. 
• Nectar resources - Research nectar plants and their relation to survival and success of the insect in the wild. 

The steps outlined in the recovery plan are listed in order of priority. Habitat protection and management is crucial to the bay checkerspots' continued existence, and serves as the underlying theme to the strategy (Elam)

Ways to Help

Bay Checkerspot on Native Plant

There are multiple resources available to the public to help the recovery of the Bay Checkerspot Butterfly, all of which are relatively simple. Those who reside in the bay area can volunteer with local conservation groups, including Friend of Edgewood and the San Mateo County Parks and Recreation Foundation (Friends of Englewood).  If the space is available, planting butterfly gardens with native plants in residential communities and backyards could help to boost the population. Reducing emissions by driving less and in the appropriate manner is beneficial to the species as well as other wildlife in the area, and as always donating to research organization such as the FWS and those mentioned above can contribute a great deal to the resurgence of the bay checkerspot (Sacramento FWS). 

Other Resources


Works Cited
1) Elam, Diane R., et al. "Recovery Plan for Serpentine Soil Species of the San Francisco Bay Area" 30 September 1998, pp. 173 - 205. <https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/980930c_v2.pdf>

2) EPA, "Endangered Species Facts: Bay Checkerspot Butterfly" February 2010. <https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2013-08/documents/bay-checkerspot-butterfly.pdf>

3) Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, "Species Information: Bay Checkerspot Butterfly" 6 December 2017. <https://www.fws.gov/sacramento/es_species/Accounts/Invertebrates/bay_checkerspot_butterly/>

4) Friends of Edgewood, "Bay Checkerspot Butterfly" <http://www.friendsofedgewood.org/bay-checkerspot-butterfly>

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Picture Sources
https://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Euphydryas-editha
http://journal.baygeo.org/bay-checkerspot-butterfly/
http://www.mississippi-crops.com/2012/09/10/weed-of-the-week-italian-ryegrass/
http://refugiosanfrancisco.pbworks.com/w/page/11236182/HR_Habitat%20Precedents 
http://metroforensics.blogspot.com/2017/08/impaired-driver-58-year-old-thuy-nguyen.html