New Callippe Siver Spot colony

[Mark Walker]

Chris R. provides a very nice explanation, making the same point that Neil
was originally making I believe.  I do appreciate the info on the
difficulties that have been shown in the UK.  While I agree that nothing can
really replace the natural habitat, what do we do while the last remaining
habitat is being drawn and quartered - nothing?  Attempting to stop
development is noble, but should we stop there?  Why would we not at least
ATTEMPT to propagate foodplant to new (or old, restored) locations?

I have a friend that has developed a successful technique for propagating a
genera of exotic plants that botanists insisted were impossible to grow
outside of natural habitats.  In his case, it required over 30 years of
persistence and a whole lot of gray matter.

My only point is that someone should be trying it.  But then, I'm sure as
the heck not doing it.

Mark Walker.
Freezing in Massachusetts.
  
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	triocomp at dial.pipex.com [SMTP:triocomp at dial.pipex.com]
> Sent:	Wednesday, January 13, 1999 5:54 AM
> To:	leps-l at lists.yale.edu
> Subject:	Re: FW: New Callippe Siver Spot colony
> 
> On 13 Jan 1999 00:09:51 -0800, MWalker at gensym.com (Mark Walker) wrote:
> 
> >> Neil makes a point that attempts to relocate butterfly habitats are
> >> usually unsuccessful and perhaps often insincere.  I won't argue with
> the
> >> latter, for I am obviously not suggesting that we build golf courses
> >> wherever we please and simply find other places for the Fritillary to
> >> live.
> >> 
> >> What I am suggesting, however, is that this butterflies habitat might
> be
> >> easy enough to reproduce on secured lands so that population
> >> management/preservation can be attempted.  I said the same thing for
> the
> >> Karner Blue while living in northern New England (regarding the
> Concord,
> >> N.H. sites), but everyone seemed to think that that was too difficult
> >> also.
> [snip]
> >> Again - it's not like we're talking about coastal sand dunes here.  How
> >> hard is it to grow Violets and Lupine?
> 
> Hi Mark,
> 
> I'm afraid I don't have a copy of Neil's original message here but I
> guess you were discussing the merits of butterfly introductions as a
> means of conserving species under threat.
> 
> The problem is that, at least over here in the UK, this has been tried
> many times over the last 50 years and has failed on nearly every
> occasion. It still remains a mystery _why_ some colonies died out and
> often they would perist for a number of years before going. For years
> many assumed that a famous Large Copper re-introduction had been a
> success as the colony was still there 20 years later. What many didn't
> know was that someone was replenishing the numbers every now and then
> - when they saw the population dip a bit!
> 
> The problem is that we still don't know enough about what a species
> needs to really thrive. What we _do_ know is that where they exist
> naturally they have a good chance of long-term survival if they are
> undisturbed and their habitats are maintained.
> 
> Many people in the UK are very against this kind of conservation
> because it gives developers an easy way out. Rather than developing
> elsewhere they now have what appears to be a green solution to the
> problem - they just move the rarities somewhere else and then trash
> the original site. In reality of course it isn't that easy and the
> relocated colonies soon die out.  :-(
> 
> Best wishes,
> Chris R.