(Lycaeides melissa samuelis )
Photo by Paul Labus; The Nature Conservancy (Indiana).
Status: Endangered, listed December 14, 1992
Habitat: Pine barrens and oak savannas on sandy soils and containing wild lupines (Lupinus perennis ), the only known food plant of larvae.
Lead Region: 3
Region 3 Lead Office: Green Bay, Wisconsin Field Office
Range: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota (possibly extirpated), New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Wisconsin
The Karner
blue butterfly, an endangered species, is a small butterfly that lives in oak
savannas and pine barren ecosystems from eastern Minnesota and eastward to the Atlantic seaboard. Historically, it was found in a continuous band throughout its range but today is found in portions
of New Hampshire, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and Minnesota.
The wild blue lupine (Lupinus perennis ) is the only food plant for the Karner caterpillar. But the range of Karners and lupine do not completely overlap. Instead, Karners are found along the northern band of lupine range. Follow the links below for more information about the Karner blue butterfly life history and what is being done to save this endangered species.
Karner Blue photos on Flickr
Karner Blue Butterfly Final Recovery Plan
Karner Blue Butterfly 5-Year Review (129-page PDF
Recovery Plan Update (February 25, 2011)
Final Recovery Plan (September 2003)
Federal Register Notice of Availability - Approved Recovery Plan for the Karner Blue Butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis - September 19, 2003 (PDF
Karner Blue Butterfly Natural History and Regulatory Information:
USFWS Fact Sheet I USFWS Fact Sheet II USFWS Species Profile USFWS Chicago Field Office's Species Spotlight
Wild blue lupine is the sole food for the Karner blue caterpillar.
Photo by USFWS; Joel Trick
Listen to a podcast! Find out about the karner blue butterfly from field biologist Cathy Carnes. Cathy has helped recover Karner blues since 1992.
Audio Clip
Karner Blue Butterfly Recovery Actions:
New Hampshire Breeding Program
Propagation Handbook for the Karner Blue Butterfly (Nov. 2010)
USFWS Wisconsin Partners for Fish and Wildlife:
• Restoring Habitat for Karner Blue Butterfly on Private Lands in Wisconsin
• Oak Savanna Restoration Winnebago county
• Landowners Help Karner Blues (PDF
The Nature Conservancy Reintroductions in Indiana
The Nature Conservancy and Toledo Zoo Reintroductions in Ohio
2006 Private Stewardship Grant: Karner blue butterfly and associated declining species of savanna and barrens (Portage, Waupaca, Outagamie, Waushara, Adams, Marquette, Green Lake, Jackson, Wood, Juneau, and Monroe counties, Wisconsin)
2006 Section 6 Grant: Determination of the status of Piping Plovers, Eastern Prairie Fringed Orchid,
Prairie Bush Clover, Fassett's Locoweed, and implement recovery management for Karner
Blue Butterfly and Fassett's Locoweed (Wisconsin)
New Hampshire Fish and Game Dept. Reintroduction (2005)
Karner Blue Butterfly Research, Monitoring and Management
A Guide to the Use of Distance Sampling to Estimate Abundance of Karner blue butterflies
List of Researchers and Managers
High Potential Range in Wisconsin
High Potential Range Map in Wisconsin (PDF)
Karner Blue Butterfly Threats Summary Table (PDF
Safe Harbor Agreement
Enhancement of Survival Permit and Safe Harbor Agreement: Restoration Activities for the Karner Blue Butterfly in the West Gary,
Indiana Recovery Unit (June 2006)
Habitat Conservation Plans
Indiana
Northern Indiana Public Service Company (March 6, 2006)
Michigan
State-wide Karner Blue Butterfly HCP
State of Michigan Karner Blue Butterfly HCP website
Wisconsin
Renewal of Wisconsin Statewide Karner Blue Butterfly HCP
2010 Habitat Conservation Plan Land Acquisition Grant: Quincy Bluff and Wetlands SNA and Karner Blue Meadow SNA (Adams and Waushara Counties, Wisconsin) $452,000
2009 Habitat Conservation Plan Land Acquisition Grant:
Karner blue butterfly HCP land acquisition – Quincy Bluff (Adams County, Wisconsin)
2007 Habitat Conservation Plan Land Acquisition Grant: Karner Blue Butterfly HCP Land Acquisition - Wisconsin (Waupaca and Burnett Counties,
WI)
The Karner Blue Butterfly Habitat Conservation Plan Fact Sheet
Questions and Answers about the Karner Blue Butterfly Habitat Conservation Plan
Wisconsin's Karner Blue Butterfly Habitat Conservation Plan
Wisconsin Karner Blue Statewide HCP - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Articles About Karner Blue Butterflies:
Butterflies Benefit from Statewide HCP (July 2000)
The Karner blue butterfly: an article about the species and its ecosystem (April 1997)
The Beauty and Benefits of Savannas: Necedah National Wildlife Refuge - learn about management for the Karner blue butterfly's ecosystem (April 1997)
Of Wings and Warriors: management for the Karner blue butterfly on Fort McCoy in Wisconsin (January 1997)
Wild lupine and Karner blue butterflies: an article about the Karner blue's relationship with wild lupine (November 1996)
Links to Other Sites About Karner Blue Butterflies:
The Butterfly Conservation Initiative
Karner Blue Butterfly in Indiana - Chipper Woods Bird Observatory
Karner Blue Butterfly in Michigan - Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Karner Blue Butterfly in New York - New York Department of Conservation
The Karner Blue Butterfly and the Pine-Oak Barrens Ecosystem - The Roosevelt Wild Life Station (SUNY-Syracuse), Conservation and Education Research
Karner Blue Butterfly in Ohio - Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Environmental Education for Kids (EEK)! - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Wisconsin Karner Blue Statewide HCP - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Midwest Endangered Species Home
; 1MB) September 2012