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...
I really liked your blog! It was very informational in regard to how much of an impact humans have made on their population. Good work! -Michael Avila
ReplyDeleteGreat job with your blog! I was surprised to hear about hybridization of the timber wolf with coyotes, I would have never expected that to happen. It was sad to see how human impact, especially things like roads are causing such a major problem for timber wolf populations. I was also surprised to see that we have a wolf rescue service (WHAR) so close to us in Paso Robles. - Bailey Barton
ReplyDeleteWolves are such beautiful animals! So unfortunate that they only occupy 3% of their original range and that humans have the biggest impact on them. - Zamantha Baraceros
ReplyDeleteAwesome work! Crazy to think that the decrease in the wolf population was partial brought on by human fears and misconceptions of wolves. It shows how much education is needed to save this species. -Audrey Bolesta
ReplyDeleteI would like to know more about what exactly humans do to disturb their environment so much. Is the threat mostly caused by taking wolves' land, or is it taking the wolves' food? Are the wolves impacting humans too causing them to be driven out of rural areas? How many have been killed in roadkill? - Chris Berridge
ReplyDeleteI think its insane how humans, in large part, have caused the habitat of this species to drop to as low as 6% of what it originally was. Additionally, you mention compatibility with humans as a key part in the recovery plan. I am just confused how this could happen, especially with how many threats are related to humans.
ReplyDelete-Austin Davis
DeleteVery nice job on this blog. There was a lot of good information. I didn't know there were 32 subspecies of the gray wolf, that was really interesting to learn. It was sad to read that there are programs in place to exterminate them. What are the motives of these programs?
ReplyDelete-Keaton Bates
It is interesting to hear about how humans have such a direct effect on a wild animal like this. I believe we also have many misconceptions about wolves in general. Great job on the post. -Jenna A.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to read about the whole alpha male structure in the pack! Grant Anderson
ReplyDeleteGreat Job. I did not know there were 32 subspecies- Pierson Berry
ReplyDeleteWow this is crazy and very sad that the species population has dropped by almost 94%. On too many of these blog posts do I see that the humans affect on these animals is the main cause of them being put on the endangered list. Great information!
ReplyDelete-Shea Blackman