Oregon Zoo's Butterfly Conservation Lab has Successfully Rears Taylor's Checkerspot Butterflies

By Bill LaMarche

Portland, OR - For the fifth year in a row, the Oregon Zoo's butterfly conservation lab has successfully reared Taylor's checkerspot larvae, making significant progress in the effort to save this endangered Northwest butterfly.

This February, after spending seven months in diapause (hibernation), the zoo's 2,500 checkerspot larvae were moved into "wake-up chambers," where they spent the next month eating "voraciously," according to Melissa Arnold, zoo butterfly conservationist.

In early March, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife released more than 2,000 of these well-fed caterpillars into the wild. Thanks to "fast and efficient release crews," said Mary Linders, a species recovery biologist with WDFW, "the larvae had plenty of time to acclimate before cooler evening temperatures set in."

The caterpillars were released at two sites near Olympia, Wash., where some of the region's best prairie habitat remains. They will finish developing in the wild, first turning into chrysalides and then hatching as adult butterflies.

Around 500 checkerspots remain at the Oregon Zoo for educational purposes and for use in perfecting captive-breeding and rearing methods. This year marks the first time all the zoo's released checkerspot caterpillars were bred in captivity, instead of hatching from eggs collected in the wild.

Once abundant in the Northwest, Taylor's checkerspots (Euphydryas editha taylori) are now listed as an endangered species by Washington State and are a candidate for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act. Today, their range is limited to isolated pockets of upland prairie. Without large, connected populations, the butterflies struggle to survive.

"Butterflies continue to disappear, which is troubling because they are such an important part of the ecosystem," said Arnold. "They are incredibly sensitive to environmental changes, making them perfect indicators of habitat health, plus they help pollinate prairie plants."

Rearing rare butterflies comes with many challenges. One of the most difficult tasks is feeding the ever-munching larvae, which consume vast quantities of specific plants.

"It's all about the plants," Arnold said. "Without our gardeners growing completely organic, chemical-free vegetation, these critters would have no chance of survival."

Thanks to the zoo's horticulture department, the caterpillars are able to feed on one of the host plants their species eats in the wild, narrow-leaf plantago (Plantago lanceolata).

For the past seven years, the zoo has collaborated with WDFW and other agencies to develop husbandry protocols and raise checkerspots. Parks Canada has served as an international partner. This conservation effort is funded by the Fort Lewis Army Compatible Use Buffer program through WDFW.

In addition to conserving Taylor's checkerspots, the zoo has enjoyed phenomenal success in its work with another endangered butterfly, the Oregon silverspot. The zoo has raised and released thousands of these butterflies in the past 11 years.

As a charter member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Butterfly Conservation Initiative, which includes nearly 50 zoos and aquariums, the Oregon Zoo is strongly committed to butterfly conservation. The Oregon silverspot and Taylor's checkerspot captive-rearing efforts are projects of the NW Zoo & Aquarium Alliance, which promotes collaboration on regional conservation among zoos and aquariums in the Pacific Northwest.

The zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission to inspire the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Washington's pygmy rabbits, Oregon silverspot and Taylor's checkerspot butterflies, western pond turtles, Oregon spotted frogs and Kincaid's lupine. Other projects include studies on black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar bears and bats.

The zoo opens at 9 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Zoo visitors who travel to the zoo via MAX receive $1.50 off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238-RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information.

General admission is $10.50 (ages 12-64), $9 for seniors (65 and up), $7.50 for children (ages 3-11) and free for those 2 and younger; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the zoo's Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $2 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.

Caption: For the fifth year in a row, the Oregon Zoo's butterfly conservation lab has successfully reared Taylor's checkerspot larvae (caterpillars) in an effort to save this endangered Northwest butterfly. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife released more than 2,000 of these larvae in early March at two sites near Olympia, Wash. Photo by Melinda Holland, courtesy of the Oregon Zoo.

Oregon Zoo " 4001 SW Canyon Rd. " Portland, Oregon 97221 " 503-226-1561

To view Oregon Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to:  http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-382-Oregon_Zoo