Next week I will be out in the field doing research on the Oregon silverspot butterfly, Speyeria zerene hippolyta. The Oregon silverspot butterfly is a federally threatened species which has been reduced to just four small salt-spray grassland habitats on the Oregon coast. We'll be monitoring the butterflies at two sites that have been the focus of restored habitat and larvae releases to augment the dwindling populations: Cascade Head, an area that has been the focus of habitat restoration efforts for The Nature Conservancy, and Rock Creek, with habitat restoration by the US Forest Service; additional oversight, plant propagation, and research in conjunction with the US Department of Fish & Wildlife, the USDA National Resources Conservation Service, and Lewis & Clark College.
Both the Woodland Park Zoo and the Oregon Zoo are engaged in the population augmentation of this endangered fritillary. We will be gathering data on the success of the released larvae and pupae, as well as celebrating the 2014 release of the Oregon Silverspot IPA at the Pelican Brewery.
Do you believe in magic? Michael Durham, an Oregon Zoo photographer, captured the OSB transformation in this time-lapse video:
Both the Woodland Park Zoo and the Oregon Zoo are engaged in the population augmentation of this endangered fritillary. We will be gathering data on the success of the released larvae and pupae, as well as celebrating the 2014 release of the Oregon Silverspot IPA at the Pelican Brewery.
Do you believe in magic? Michael Durham, an Oregon Zoo photographer, captured the OSB transformation in this time-lapse video:
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