What does the Bay checkerspot butterfly eat?

Diet. While the larvae are dependent on the host plants, mostly the dwarf plantain, for sustenance the adult butterflies live on nectar. They feed on a variety of plants associated with serpentine grasslands.

What do checkerspot caterpillars eat?

The silvery checkerspot caterpillar, Chlosyne nycteis, can be found right now, happily eating away on sunflower, aster, Echinacea, goldenrod and Rudbeckia. The checkerspot caterpillar has branched spines on its back that are black in color. Sometimes the caterpillars will have an orange stripe or two.

Where is the Bay checkerspot butterfly found?

San Francisco peninsula
RANGE. Historically, the Bay checkerspot occurred primarily along the spine of the San Francisco peninsula, from Twin Peaks to southern Santa Clara County and in a few pockets in Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

What is causing the changes to the Edith’s checkerspot?

Habitat destruction due to human development is the primary cause in declining populations of both subspecies, but the NAS reports that the Quino “is the first endangered species for which climate change is officially listed as both a current threat and a factor to be considered in the plan for its recovery” since the …

What was the most likely result of the early emergence of these butterflies?

Summary: The findings are unique because the early emergence is causally linked with a simultaneous increase in air temperatures around Melbourne of approximately 0.14°C per decade, and this warming is shown to be human-induced (anthropogenic). …

When was the state flag of Maryland officially adopted?

1904
Officially, it was adopted as the State flag in 1904 (Chapter 48, Acts of 1904, effective March 9, 1904).

How big does a Bay checkerspot butterfly get?

The bay checkerspot is a medium-sized butterfly in the brush-footed butterfly family (Nymphalidae). It has a wing span of little more than 5 cm (about 2 inches). The forewings have black bands along all the veins on the upper surface, contrasting sharply with bright red, yellow and white spots.

Is the checkerspot butterfly a threatened species?

It is a federally threatened species. Since the 1980s the population of checkerspotshas been in serious decline. While the larvae are dependent on the host plants, mostly the dwarf plantain, for sustenance the adult butterflies live on nectar.

What’s the life span of a variable checkerspot?

The larvae emerge from diapause between late January and mid-March. However, in high elevations, larvae can hibernate for several years. Pupation begins in early to middle April and the adult flight season begins between mid-April and May and continues into June. The adult variable checkerspot has a life span of around 15 days.

How are checkerspot butterflies dependent on their host plants?

Since the 1980s the population of checkerspotshas been in serious decline. While the larvae are dependent on the host plants, mostly the dwarf plantain, for sustenance the adult butterflies live on nectar. Our articles are free for you to copy and distribute.