Presenter(s)

Penelope Fisher

Comments

10:45-12:00, Kennedy Union Ballroom

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Description

The Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly, Euphydryas phaeton, is a wetland-dwelling butterfly native to the Eastern United States. Its bright orange aposematic coloration indicates its toxicity to its predators as it carries toxins sequestered from its native host plant Chelone glabra, or white turtlehead. This species is unique in that the larvae overwinter during their 4th instar as caterpillars. However, due to this overwintering capability, the species has been proven to be very temperature sensitive, with winter heatwaves proving fatal for many larvae. With the global temperature increasing, many E. phaeton populations have begun to dwindle, and habitat loss has driven many populations into endangerment with the loss of wetlands and their native host plant C. glabra. Despite the declining population size and home range contraction of the species, little to no research has been completed detailing the Baltimore Checkerspot lifecycle. Most research on this butterfly occurred in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, which does not account for how it is being affected by the rapidly changing environments and climates of today. Moreover, this species has complex growth behaviors, as it is both gregarious and an overwintering species, making cultivation in new or restored wetlands difficult. Overall, due to the butterflies’ threatened populations and their complexity in development patterns, it is crucial to research rearing methods in order to reintroduce populations to wetlands so that the endangered status of this species does not turn to extinct. In collaboration with the Five Rivers MetroParks, I will be studying how to successfully rear E. phaeton in order to reintroduce the butterfly to restored wetlands. Reintroducing these butterflies will create more stable wetland habitats and give the species a better chance at survival due to heightened biodiversity.

Publication Date

4-23-2025

Project Designation

Independent Research

Primary Advisor

Chelse M. Prather

Primary Advisor's Department

Biology

Keywords

Stander Symposium, College of Arts and Sciences

Institutional Learning Goals

Scholarship; Critical Evaluation of Our Times; Community

Mending a Checkered Past: Reintroduction of the Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly into Ohio Wetlands

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