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Characteristics
The male and female are very different in terms of colour. The topside of the male’s wings are silvery or dark blue with a black narrow rim. The topside of the female’s wings can be greyish brown, especially on the outside parts of the wing to blue with orange crescents inside the black border. The underside of both the male and female, have a continuous band of orange crescents with scattered black spots circled with a ring of white. There is also a white rim around the edge of the wing.
Habitat
Most Karner Blue butterflies stay in parts of the world where their food source is found ( wild lupine plant.) which is in Wisconsin, parts of Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio and ecosystems with pine or oak savannas
The male and female are very different in terms of colour. The topside of the male’s wings are silvery or dark blue with a black narrow rim. The topside of the female’s wings can be greyish brown, especially on the outside parts of the wing to blue with orange crescents inside the black border. The underside of both the male and female, have a continuous band of orange crescents with scattered black spots circled with a ring of white. There is also a white rim around the edge of the wing.
Habitat
Most Karner Blue butterflies stay in parts of the world where their food source is found ( wild lupine plant.) which is in Wisconsin, parts of Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio and ecosystems with pine or oak savannas
Threats
Most of its habitat has been destroyed by construction and land development which disturbs its foods source causing it to become endangered. Also, because of it’s beauty it is wanted in many collections. Its numbers are low and it is now illegal to capture them without a permit from the U.S fish and Wildlife services.
Fun Facts
- They are diurnal which means more active during the day.
- The Karner Blue butterfly is near-sighted.
- The butterfly uses its legs to taste and its tube like tongue to drink nectar.
- Nabokov named the butterfly “Karner” for the hamlet of Karner in New Yorks Albany Pine bush.
- They rest with their wings closed as a form of protection
Behavior- The Karner blue butterfly usually has two generations each year. In April, the first group of caterpillars hatch from eggs that were laid the previous year. In the middle of May, the caterpillars become a pupa. By the end of May or early June those pupa become adult butterflies and emerge from their cocoons. These adults mate then lay their eggs in June on or near wild lupine plants. The eggs hatch in about one week and the caterpillars feed for about three weeks. They then pupate and the summer's second generation of adult butterflies appears in July. This cycle continues.
Diet - Karner blue caterpillars feed only on the leaves of the wild lupine plant. Adults feed on the nectar of Wild Lupine plants.
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In 1980 there were around 3000-5000 but now their numbers have gone down to less than 50.
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Wild Lupine Plant