Karner Blue Butterfly Habitat

Description

• The Karner is the only blue butterfly with orange crescents under its wings. This is the marking that distinguishes them from other species. They are very small, close to the size of a nickel, and their wingspans are only 1 inch.

Habitat

• Karners live off of wild lupine leaves. The plant is found in prairies, oak savannas and pine barrens. It grows wild and blooms with small pink and purple flowers.

Weather Conditions

• Karners do well where snow is present for more than 80 days. The snow insulates the cocoons from the cold.

States

• Michigan and Wisconsin have the best habitats. New York and New Hampshire have a small remnant population of Karners where lupine is limited to roadsides, sand pits and airports.

Life Cycle

• The Karner has two breeding cycles a year. In April the butterflies emerge from their cocoons that had been laid the summer before, and by May the adults lay eggs on the lupine plants for another generation. The peak lasts about four months. By August the butterflies are either dying off or going dormant.