Lepidoptera of North America
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Browsing Lepidoptera of North America by Subject "Butterflies -- Colorado"
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Item Open Access Lepidoptera of North America 13. Flower visitation by Colorado butterflies (40,615 Records) with a review of the literature on pollination of Colorado plants and butterfly attraction (Lepidoptera: Hesperioidea and Papilionoidea)(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2014) Scott, James A., author; C.P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity, publisherI present 40,615 of my records of visits of adult butterflies (LEPIDOPTERA: Papilionoidea, Hesperioidea) to flowers and other food/water sources. Part I arranges the records by butterfly species to determine the flowers/foods most often visited by each butterfly species. Most butterflies visit a wide range of colors and types of flowers, with fewer visits to red at least in part because of a shortage of red flowers in the Colorado flora (subtropical/tropical butterflies evidently visit red more often, as demonstrated by hundreds of literature records for Phoebis sennae). But some butterflies show very different restricted preferences. Butterflies often visit numerous flowers that lack a “landing platform”, as their legs are capable of landing on any type of flower, so a landing platform is not necessary. Most popular flowers have a clustered inflorescence, though some do not. All Colorado butterflies prefer flowers that are in floral displays of clusters or closely joined together; none prefer solitary flowers. Short-proboscis butterflies are limited to smaller flowers. Lycaenidae mostly visit yellow and white flowers, probably in part because of a greater frequency of yellow and white colors among flowers that are small enough for their short proboscis. Long-proboscis butterflies can recycle abdominal fluid to dissolve dung for food, and they visit red flowers more often. Butterfly flight height partly determines which flowers can be visited. Apocynaceae (Apocynum and Asclepias) flowers sometimes kill butterflies by catching their proboscis. Females frequently sip mud, so it is a myth that butterflies visit mud only to get sodium; many visit mud to rehydrate. Part II arranges the records by flower species, and includes flower species that are common but not visited, to determine which flowers are attractive to butterflies and which are not. Although butterflies in general are not very particular in their flower choice (especially regarding flower color and ultraviolet pattern and size and shape), most of the pretty flowers in nature are seldom or never visited by butterflies, which seems to mean that floral scent is important in both attracting and repelling butterflies to flowers. The most popular plant family for butterflies is Asteraceae, in which most genera are popular. Other very popular flowers are Asclepias, Apocynum, Verbena, Monarda, Buddleja, Eriogonum, Sedum lanceolatum, Erysimum, Jamesia, some legumes including Medicago sativa, Lythrum, Cnidoscolus, Ceanothus, Aesculus, many Lamiaceae, Penstemon, and Lobelia siphilitica. Popular “butterfly flowers” merely must have white or visibly-bright colors, diurnal flowering, adequate but not strong floral scent, sufficient sugar concentration, and adequate access for the proboscis; nothing else seems necessary. Butterflies that visit sap and rotting fruit mostly belong to groups within Nymphalidae that display this behavior worldwide, while dung and carrion feeding occur in all the major taxa of butterflies. The chemical compounds attracting butterflies to flowers are reviewed and discussed, and specific chemicals attracting them to sap, rotting fruit, carrion, dung, etc. are successfully pinpointed from the literature. Known pollinators are listed for the Colorado plants that are popular and not popular with butterflies. Very few if any Colorado plants seem to be primarily pollinated by butterflies (most are pollinated by bees), and evidently no plants would become extinct if butterflies were not available to pollinate them. Thus Colorado butterflies are generally only occasional pollinators of flowers. Much more work needs to be done on the floral scents that attract butterflies.Item Open Access Lepidoptera of North America 19. Pawnee montane skipper Hesperia leonardus montana Skinner (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae): habitat requirements, distribution and abundance, population responses to forest thinning and wildfire, and genetic investigations(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2023) Ellis, Scott, author; Sovell, John, author; Painter, Mikele, author; Drummond, Boyce A., editor; C.P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity, publisherThis Contribution summarizes field studies conducted between 1985 and 2021 on the habitat and biology of the federally listed Pawnee montane skipper butterfly (Hesperia leonardus montana Skinner) and its population responses to forest thinning treatments and large wildfires within the same time frame. Other smaller studies and genetic information are also summarized. H. l. montana (Hlm) occupies a total known range of less than 80 square miles within the South Platte River drainage southwest of Denver, Colorado. Habitat consists of xeric conifer woodland dominated by an overstory of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), an understory of blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis), which is the larval foodplant, and dotted gayfeather (Liatris punctata), the primary adult nectar source. Peak adult Hlm densities during late August to early September generally ranged from 1 to 4 individuals per acre. Based on Hlm densities measured in 1986 belt transects, August abundance estimates ranged from 77,000 to 141,000 individuals within suitable habitat. If the Two Forks Reservoir were built, approximately 21 percent of Hlm suitable habitat would be inundated, and from 23 to 42 percent of the Hlm population would be lost, inferred from the 1986 skipper density measurements. The overall pattern of adult Hlm annual densities at the Trumbull forest thinning transects is interpreted as recovery from the 2001-2002 drought through 2007. Then density varied from year to year in response to both above and below average annual precipitation and temperature, but a general trend of increasing population size through 2021. Forest thinning treatments that were implemented at Trumbull from 2000 through 2004 are compatible with the continued survival of the skipper. A tree thinning pattern that preserves a conifer canopy cover of approximately 30 percent and 100 trees (5 inches or greater in diameter) per acre appears optimum for maintenance of Hlm habitat. Post-Hayman fire Hlm monitoring in moderately to intensively burned areas documents slow population recovery over time. Monitoring indicates that Hlm occurrence is negatively associated with standing dead trees, which may mean that intensively burned areas will remain sparsely inhabited over the long term. This avoidance behavior means that crown fires that kill all mature conifers represent a significant risk to the suitable habitat extent for this species. Genetic samples from Hlm and congeners were analyzed to investigate species and subspecies relationships and determine Hlm population substructure. Analysis of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) showed H. leonardus haplotypes are distinct from other Hesperia species, but it was not possible to distinguish H. leonardus subspecies from one another based on the observed COI haplotypes. Population structure analysis of Hlm samples using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping revealed gene flow throughout the range of Hlm, but clusters of more related individuals were distinguishable along a geographic gradient from north to south. Two individuals collected 4 miles south of the 1986 study area were noticeably different in the SNP analysis. The area includes remnants of ponderosa pine forest with blue grama and dotted gayfeather that survived the Hayman Fire. More investigation is needed to determine if this finding indicates an isolated subpopulation.Item Open Access Lepidoptera of North America 8. Butterfly research in Boulder County, Colorado 2004-2007(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2008) Chu, Janet Pattee, author; Sportiello, Mike, author; C. P. Gillette Museum of Arthropod Diversity, Colorado State University, publisherIn 2007, surveys recording the numbers of butterfly species and individuals were performed on a total of 39 survey days in 15 different locations within Boulder County. These surveys were conducted in a variety of habitats, ranging from prairie grasslands to upper montane forests. In addition to extending previous multi-year studies in areas such as Heil Valley, Caribou Ranch, and Cal-Wood Education Center, this year's research included butterfly inventories in an area not previously surveyed by our team, the Variegated Fritillary productive Southeast Buffer prairies managed by Boulder County Parks and Open Space. Specifically, this year's research was conducted to extend the county butterfly database generated in previous years, determining butterfly species' locations and population numbers, flight periods, and host or food plant interactions. Locating rare or uncommon butterfly species for this county was an additional objective of our group. A notable phenomenon this year was the appearance of many migrant species that took advantage of the county's wealth of rich nectar sources resulting from heavy rainfall in April and plentiful groundwater. Three migrant butterfly species not previously reported by our team were observed in 2007, including: Southern Dogface (Zerene cesonia), Sleepy Orange (Abaeis nicippe), and Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia). The Mylitta Crescent (Phyciodes mylitta), a county record discovered in 2005 by this research team, was again located in 2007. Two rare skippers - Arogos (Atrytone arogos) and Ottoe (Hesperia ottoe) - remain elusive, providing a compelling reason to continue the search in 2008. Some of the significant trends observed from this year's surveys include an increase in the number of Variegated (Euptoieta claudia) and Aphrodite (Speyeria aphrodite) Fritillaries, as well as Black Swallowtails (Papilio polyxenes), in a variety of locations and habitats; a decrease in the number of Hoary Commas (Polygonia gracilis), Field Crescents (Phyciodes pulchella), and Western Pine Elfins (Callophrys eryphon) in appropriate habitats; and a record high number of butterfly species and individuals reported at the annual Cal-Wood Fourth of July Butterfly Count, along with a record number of human participants in this public educational event.