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Detroit Zoo and Michigan DNR Release Karner Blue Butterfies
“We’re very excited about releasing the butterflies in Michigan because we've been working toward this point for the past three summers,” said Detroit Zoo Associate Curator of Invertebrates Laura Palombi. “This is a test of our ability to restore an ecosystem.” Palombi will share the Karner blue butterfly conservation success story at a public lecture at the Zoo’s Ford Education Center Theatre on Wednesday, July 9, at 7 p.m. Admission is free. The Karner blue (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) is a small butterfly with a wingspan of about one inch which lives in oak savanna habitats ranging from Minnesota to Maine. The butterfly, once common in Michigan, has not been seen in Southeast Michigan since 1987 when it was last observed at the PSGA. The caterpillars of the Karner blue feed exclusively on the leaves of wild lupine (Lupinus perennis). Fire suppression – along with the conversion of land to agriculture, residential areas and other uses – has severely reduced the range and availability of wild lupine. The ecosystems historically were maintained by fires, which kept the open savanna from turning into forest. The DNR has been using burns and vegetation removal to restore the habitat at PSGA, while the Detroit Zoo has planted seeds and plugs of lupines and plant species to provide nectar for the adult Karner blue butterflies. “Our habitat management activities at the Petersburg State Game Area, such as brush clearing, mowing and burning, have been very effective in restoring the traditional savanna habitat conditions where the butterflies can thrive,” said Joe Robison, DNR wildlife biologist. “By hand-seeding and hand-planting plugs of its preferred vegetation, the site has become more Karner blue-friendly.” Adult female Karner blue butterflies were collected in late May and transported to a greenhouse at the Detroit Zoo, where they are fed daily and held in individual enclosures over lupine plants on which they lay their eggs. Each female can lay over 100 eggs. The caterpillars that hatch are monitored daily until they reach the chrysalis stage, which takes about three to four weeks. About 10 days later adult butterflies emerge and within days will be transported to the PSGA release site. The plan calls for the continued release of the descendants into the wild over the next four to six years. Zoo staff and volunteers will monitor the population at the release site annually and will continue to release captive-reared butterflies until the population at PSGA is considered self-sustaining. According to the federal recovery plan, a minimum viable population consists of at least 3,000 individuals. “The long-range goal of this program is to protect existing populations of Karner blues and reestablish new, viable populations within their historical range,” said Palombi. “The ultimate goal is to eventually remove Karner blue butterflies from the federal list of endangered species.” The Detroit Zoological Society is a non-profit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo. Situated on 125 acres of naturalistic exhibits, the Detroit Zoo is located at the intersection of Ten Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, just off I-696, in Royal Oak. The Detroit Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October (open at 9:30 a.m. Memorial Day through Labor Day) – with extended hours until 8 p.m. Wednesdays during July and August – and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March. Admission is $11 for adults 13 to 61, $9 for senior citizens 62 and older, and $7 for children ages 2 to 12; children under 2 are free. For more information, call (248) 541-5717 or visit www.detroitzoo.org. The Belle Isle Nature Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. year-round and provides educational programming with interpretive staff support from the Huron-Clinton Metroparks. For more information, call (313) 852-4056. |
The Detroit Zoo and Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will release captive-reared federally endangered Karner blue butterflies at the Petersburg State Game Area (PSGA) in Monroe County on Wednesday, July 9, at 11 a.m. The release is part of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s Karner Blue Butterfly Recovery Plan and PSGA Master Plan.
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Irresponsible Board of Management
Maybe , just maybe The Toronto Zoo Board Is In The Middle Of A Financial Crisis And There Is No Place To Go But To City Council like a wayward son go to Mom and Dad for more money...
Although it was made clear by Shelley Carroll (the City's Budget Chief) that the Toronto Zoo has to behave more financially responsible, perhaps the problem is that there is no place else to go. The $250 Million fund-raising plans are a pipe dream (especially after firing the Zoo Foundation), it is not possible to raise admission prices any longer (or face a significant drop in attendance) and the "junkets" (especially to China for the Giant Pandas) by members of the Zoo Board can not be cut significantly for any reason. In other words, there is no place to go but City Council. What a crock! The Toronto Zoo Board needs a reality check, as it has become clear that they do not understand the problems they are facing. Perhaps the thousands of free Zoo passes given to Councillors on the Zoo Board could be cut to zero, perhaps the Zoo Foundation could be re-instated, and perhaps a citizen's advisory committee could be formed to provide much-needed guidance to the existing members of the Board.
This is Proof positive
that citizens should have more direct say in the budget process. Line item veto by a citizen's budget committee might get the desired cuts we must attain. The citizens of Toronto should stand with one voice that we just won't allow a property tax increase this year.
By Latinoboy in TORONTO
Ethyl Mercaptan
I would be quite interested in any reference you might have to the presence of ethyl mercaptan in carrion. Most literature indicates that dimethyl sulfide and methyl mercaptan are the sulfur containing entities involved. I had also thought that vultures, like many carrion eating and inhabiting species (flies, etc) were attracted to the rather bad smell of the nitrogenous materials (cadaverine, putresceine, etc) produced during decomposition.
Ant farms
Very nice ant exhibit! I wrote a small ant farm post with a reference to your article.
Train Business Directory Available for Visitors
A "Train Business Directory" shows over 850 locations near all of the Portland MAX light rail at PortlandLightRail.net.
Happy Birthday, Boomer!
You are a great ambassador for your cousins in the wild, Boomer!
Orangutans are critically endangered because of rapid deforestation and the expansion of palm oil plantations.
If nothing is done to protect orangutans, they could be extinct in just a few years!
Your fans can visit the Orangutan Outreach website to make a difference!
Orangutan Outreach
http://redapes.org
Reach out and save the orangutans!
Facebook Cause: http://causes.com/redapes
Venemous snakes?
What is it with people that want to exterminate venemous snakes? If they weren't an integral part of the food chain and ecosystem, they wouldn't be here! Evolution and natural selection has chosen them as survivors! The fact that they are "harmful" to humans is only a result of humans encroaching on their territories and habitats. Be mindful of your surroundings and situation and you can safely live with the so called "harmful" species that we share this planet with!
Local wildlife day
Good luck with the event. We have some fabulous wildlife in Devon that's really worth celebrating. We recently had a botanical survey of our small Devon nature reserve, which recorded more than 180 species in about 3.5 acres. And even more amazing was the depth of local knowledge the visiting naturalists had to share - on everything from obscure moths to lichens.
Local wildlife day
Good luck with the event. We have some fabulous wildlife in Devon that's really worth celebrating. We recently had a botanical survey of our small Devon nature reserve, which recorded more than 180 species in about 3.5 acres. And even more amazing was the depth of local knowledge the visiting naturalists had to share - on everything from obscure moths to lichens.
Sadly, a lack of common sense is the trend
What is sad to me is the lack of common sense regarding venomous snakes that seems to becoming more commonplace.
It has become trendy for government agencies to defend venomous snakes, saying they kill rodents, etc., but non-venomous snakes also kill rodents. I have not heard one logical argument as to what a venomous snake contributes to an ecosystem that a non-venomous snake doesn't.
Any non-biased biologist can affirm species extinction has always happened naturally. It's common sense to kill a venomous snake, rather than let it continue breeding and increase the potential for harm.
The unfortunate consequence of naturalists defending venomous snakes is they make them appear so necessary and harmless that both people and agencies--hospitals, for example--do not expect or prepare for snake encounters.
It's doubtful that many hospitals near the snakes stock the expensive antivenin. Governments should help fund snakebite treatment rather than fund snake protection.
Skype Usage
Very cool and novel way to use Skype. Glad to see that people are thinking outside the box with its collaborative application. If it's not too late, you may want to submit this to Skype as a good use of their software for the Skype in business contest they're running.
Shawn
OnState Communications
Word Oceans Day - June 8
And don't forget to "Wear Blue and Tell Two"
Another great way to celebrate World Oceans Day is to wear blue in honor of the ocean and tell people two things they likely don't know about the ocean and two ways they can take action. For more Information check out this website:
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