KARNER+BLUE+BUTTERFLY

Karner Blue Butterfly

** Physical Characteristics: **
A karner blue butterfly has a wingspan of one inch. The upper side of the male's wings are silver to dark blue with white and black margins. The upper sides of the female's wings are gray-brown to blue with some bands of orange. They also, like the males, have white and black margins. In the picture below you can see the white and black margins around the edges of the wings.

http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/wildlife/Images/re... Karner blue butterflies like to live in oak savannas and pine barrens. So they really don't have many things they want to live in. Females lay the eggs on wild lupine, which is what the caterpillars feed and live on. The towns of Guilderland and Colonie, the city of Albany, and the Nature Conservancy are working on saving wild lupine so the karner blue butterfly doesn't become extinct. It is already endangered.
 * Habitat: **

A caterpillars defense is ants. The caterpillar gives the ants a sugary liquid, in return the ants give the caterpillar protection. People are like predators to the karner blue butterfly. People are threatening their existence by agriculture, urbanization, and fire supression. The karner blue butterfly's habitat needs fire so that it can grow. To fix this people try to grow lupine which is what they eat. Also people have controlled fires.
 * Predators and Defense: **

Karner blue butterfly 2 generations each year. The first generation was from the last year. This generation will lay eggs that will become the second generation. The second generation will lay eggs that will become next years first generation.This cycle will continue over and over again. __Resources__:
 * Bahavior and Special Skills **

http://members.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterflies/species/

Enchanted Learning. http://members.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/butterflies/species/.

Department of Environmental Conservation. http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7118.html.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7118.html

http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/insects/kbb/kbb_fact.html 10-22-10