In the early 1900s the Karner Blue Butterfly (KBB) covered the
fields of its habitat like a sea of blue. Over the next decade 99%
of its population declined. The Karner Blue butterfly is a tiny butterfly,
only about one inch across and now endangered.
The
Karner Blue,
Lycaeides melissa samuelis, is a small, blue
butterfly found in small areas of
New Jersey, the
Great Lakes region, southern
New Hampshire, and the
Capital District region of
New York. The butterfly, whose lifecycle depends on the wild blue
lupine flower (
Lupinus perennis), is classified as an
endangered species. In May 2000, the Canadian Species at Risk Act listed the Karner Blue as being extirpated in
Canada. This
subspecies of
Lycaeides melissa was described by novelist
Vladimir Nabokov. It is sometimes placed in the
genus Plebejus.
Local conservation efforts, concentrating on replanting large areas of blue lupine which have been lost to development (and to fire suppression, which destroys the open, sandy habitat required by blue lupine), are having modest success at encouraging the butterfly's repopulation. The Karner Blue is the official state butterfly of New Hampshire. The Necedah National Wildlife Refuge in central Wisconsin is home to the world's largest population of Karner Blues, which benefit from its vast area of savannah and extensive lupine.
The Karner Blue was first identified and named by novelist and lepidopterist Vladimir Nabokov. The name originates from Karner, New York (located half-way between Albany and Schenectady) in the Albany Pine Bush), where it was first discovered. Lupine blooms in late May. There are two generations of Karner Blues per year. The first in late May to mid June. The second from mid-July to mid-August.
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SKU: 015
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