Mission Blue Virtual Talk, Q&A Answered!

Mission Blue Butterfly Virtual Talk Follow-up with Q & A from Hannah Ormshaw 

Following up on the Virtual Talk with speaker Hannah Ormshaw we compiled the list of unanswered questions, and provided additional information to others. In case you missed the live event, listen to a recording of the March 31st talk. 

Mission Blue Butterfly Anatomy and Life History

For a bit of background on the Mission Blue Butterfly, there are 144 species of butterflies in the San Francisco Bay Area; the Bay Area has the highest density of endangered butterfly species in the US. The Mission Blue Butterfly (Icaricia icarioides missionensis) is a blue butterfly subspecies native to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a subspecies of Boisduval’s Blue butterfly (Aricia icarioides).

Do butterflies have lungs?

In the talk Hannah, the Assistant Director of San Mateo County Parks discussed the butterfly metabolism and how it is affected by the climate, but to answer the question directly, butterflies don’t have “lungs” the way humans do. Instead, butterflies breathe through tiny openings on the sides of their bodies called spiracles. These holes open into a system of tubes in their body that carry the oxygen all over their bodies. The tubes are called Malphigian tubules. So unlike humans, who have lungs in a specific spot in the form of organs, insects, like adult butterflies, have their respiratory system throughout their whole body. 

What is the peak season for MBB Sightings?

From April through June, adults are “on the wing” meaning they are in their final stage of life as a flying adult butterfly. The adults only last 3-10 days with the main objectives being to find a mate, and for the female to lay her fertilized eggs. What’s important to remember is that the species lives most of the year as a caterpillar, either as a green foliage eating caterpillar, or in diapause: a hibernative-like state in the leaf litter of lupine plants. 

What can we do to help Mission Blue Butterflies?

Volunteering to Help the Mission Blues

Volunteering is a great way to help the Mission Blues. What might volunteering look like? Pulling weeds and planting native plants are the two most common action items. This is what habitat restoration looks like! 

Places to volunteer include: San Bruno Mountain Watch, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, County of San Mateo Parks Department, Pacific Beach Coalition, and Grassroots Ecology. If you don’t live in the Bay area, volunteering at your local habitat restoration or cleanup events can also help your local native species, and potentially even ones listed on the endangered species list.

Gardening 

A common question by listeners is would planting lupine and composites in our gardens and hillsides help the populations? The Mission Blue evolved to live in the coastal grassland ecosystem in and around the San Francisco area. The remaining populations only exist in a few areas on this planet because they evolved to live in this specific habitat type, which now only exists in a few areas. Within this ecosystem, the three host plants that they rely on, the lupine plants, Genus Lupinus: Silver (L. albifrons), Summer (L.formosus) and Varied (L. variicolor) have a similar evolutionary history. 

Adult Mission Blues drink the nectar of flowers, using a long tube called a proboscis that extends from the underside of the head. When looking for nectar, a food source, a variety of flowers are visited and possibly pollinated by butterflies. Those nectar food plants include: Composite flowers (like native sunflowers), California Sagebrush, Dwarf Checkermallow, Common Yarrow, California Phacelia, Thimbleberry, California Poppy, Coastal Gum Plant, Common Cowparsnip. Planting these plants on your land or balcony is a great way to help butterflies and insects that are local to you.

Advocating for the Mission Blue

Advocating for conserving the little remaining natural spaces we have left and restoring those that could become great habitats for the Mission Blue is a great way to help the Mission Blue’s populations. What that looks like is donating time and/or funds to parks and preserves, as well as voting in all elections, and submitting public comments on upcoming relevant legislation. These actions ensure your voice is heard, and helps in electing people who will continue to protect these spaces and introduce laws like the very important Endangered Species Act (ESA). Did you know the Mission Blue was one of the very first insects listed under the ESA? It was listed in 1976, the ESA was passed in 1973.

Advocating for the Mission Blue simply means sharing what you learned to friends, family, and coworkers. The Mission Blue needs conservation leaders, young and old, near and far to be champions and fight for any tactics that help to increase this species population. It’s often easy to forget that the goal of helping any endangered species is to get the species off the endangered species list (also known as delisting), meaning they have a healthy, stable, and thriving population.  Currently public infrastructure developments still remain a threat to their habitat, but private development is not a serious threat. This is where public pressure and comments can be useful in forming the outlook of future projects. 

Education

Education at the local level is very important with this species because it only lives in such tiny areas of our planet. 

There are a few other simple ways to help the Mission Blue when in their habitat, and all the other critters that live amongst them are. When visiting parks, preserves or open spaces:

  • Don’t pick wildflowers 
  • Stay on trails
  • Pay attention to rules, especially what types of recreation are allowed, depending on the trail type

Threats to the Mission Blue

What are the current, main threats to the Mission Blue?

Habitat loss has historically been the main threat to their population, but currently only infrastructure projects, not private development remain a serious threat. 

A sneaky fungal pathogen has affected the lupine host plants in the past, especially the silver lupine. In 1998 and 2010 the fungal pathogen was found in a few spots within the current Mission Blue habitat; it causes dieback of leaves and flowers. In efforts to understand the pathogen and reduce its impact on the Mission Blue, Creekside Center for Earth Observation, a local biological firm is working on methods to diversify the lupines, as well as understand plant propagation.

Their grassland habitat and lupine host plants are threatened, primarily by invasions of non-native plants, and the encroachment of scrub plants, like coyote brush and toyon. European annual grasses and forbs have displaced native forbs in California native grasslands, and in turn, have contributed to the decline of the mission blue butterfly (Biswell 1956; Murphy and Ehrlich 1989). Even though many exotic forbs are used by mission blue butterflies as a nectar source, they outcompete and replace native nectar plants, and larval food plants. There is also a lack of natural disturbances such as grazing and wildfire that would normally prevent scrubland from taking over the landscape, which would include coyote brush and toyon. 

Global climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heat waves, droughts, and storms. Seasonal rains that are too early or too late may result in larval development being out of phase with their host plants. Changes in temperature could shift the development period of the butterfly so that it is out of sync with its host plants. 

Additional ongoing threats to the mission blue’s survival include poaching, trampling, so it’s important to stay on existing trails, and follow the rules of what type of recreation is allowed.

Are there protection laws in the SF Bay Area to protect the habitats of the MB from developments. Particularly in the Daly City Serramonte Ridge area?

Hannah: “The primary protections that exist for the mission blue butterfly is it’s status as a federally endangered species and legal protections under the federal endangered species act. These protections apply to the species broadly, as well as the habitats they occupy.”

A sneaky fungal pathogen has affected the lupine host plants in the past, especially the silver lupine. In 1998 and 2010 the fungal pathogen was found in a few spots within the current Mission Blue habitat, it causes dieback of leaves and flowers. In efforts to understand the pathogen and reduce its impact on the Mission Blue, Creekside Center for Earth Observation, a local biological firm is working on methods to diversify the lupines, as well as understand plant propagation.

Their grassland habitat and lupine host plants are threatened, primarily by invasions of non-native plants, and the encroachment of scrub plants, like coyote brush and toyon. European annual grasses and forbs have displaced native forbs in California native grasslands, and in turn, have contributed to the decline of the mission blue butterfly (Biswell 1956; Murphy and Ehrlich 1989). Even though many exotic forbs are used by mission blue butterflies as a nectar source, they outcompete and replace native nectar plants, and larval food plants. There is also a lack of natural disturbances such as grazing and wildfire that would normally prevent scrubland from taking over the landscape, which would include coyote brush and toyon. 

Global climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heat waves, droughts, and storms. Seasonal rains that are too early or too late may result in larval development being out of phase with their host plants. Changes in temperature could shift the development period of the butterfly so that it is out of sync with its host plants. 

Additional ongoing threats to the mission blue’s survival include poaching, trampling, so it’s important to stay on existing trails, and follow the rules of what type of recreation is allowed.

Are we worried about such a small population and the effect of genetic bottlenecking with the Mission Blue?

Hannah: “Genetic bottlenecking can be a concern for isolated populations of butterfly species. Populations of mission blue and other butterflies in the bay area can be isolated from each other by urban development, roads, and other barriers to movement, and they typically do not have a very large dispersal distance. Genetic studies of callippe silverspot butterflies at San Bruno mountain show much lower genetic diversity overall than other populations elsewhere in the region. The effort to translocate mission blue butterflies from San Bruno Mountain to Twin Peaks, Milagra Ridge, and Sweeney Ridge help increase the genetic diversity of these smaller populations.”

Range

 

Career Questions with Hannah Ormshaw

How did you get into your work with the San Mateo County Parks, and environmental work in general?

“I started working for the San Mateo County Parks Department originally as an intern, working on natural resource management and mapping related projects. I then worked as a natural resource specialist and the natural resource manager before starting as the assistant director. My work history and education has all focused on geography and environmental studies, as well as work related to ecology, geographic information systems, and natural resources.”

What drew you into this career path? 

Hannah: “I’ve always loved parks, nature, and wildlife. I grew up camping and spending time out in nature, and have always felt a strong connection with the natural world. In school, starting to learn more about environmental degradation, I was interested in getting into a career path where the work I would do would have a positive impact on the environment, and that I could devote my time to stewardship and restoration work.”

What advice would you give young people who are interested in pursuing a career like yours, or in environmental conservation work in general?

Hannah: “Early in my career, I took a number of internship positions or short-term contract positions that were great learning opportunities. I’ve also been open to new opportunities that have come up through my career and applying to new positions as these have come up. So generally – my advice is to prioritize taking advantage of opportunities as they come up, take advantage of learning opportunities, and that internships, volunteering, and contract jobs that help you build up experience in the area you want to work. As someone in a position now making hiring decisions myself, I’m always impressed by this type of experience.”

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