Can you help with questions

[Kathy Reinertsen]

Need help with answers. I posted to the Wings List about the Miami blue
and got questions
I couldn't answer.
Ed Reinertsen

       Very interesting info on this little blue butterfly.

       Can you tell us more about the interactions of the larvae with
ants?
Sounds like a symbiotic relationship, but I am curious as to what ants
can do
to help butterfly larvae and what butterfly larvae can do to help ants.

       It's interesting that this little butterfly pollinates flowers,
as
they lay their eggs.  Then the larvae eat the seeds of the flowers that
they
have pollinated. Kind of biting the hand that feeds you.

       With the butterfly having a secession of broods year around, this

conveys the impression that they have multiple species of larval host
plants,
producing seeds year around.  Is this true?  If so, is it reasonable to
assume that habitat destruction is the problem?

       Can you tell us more about the Miami Blue Crew?  Are they
involved
only with habitat restoration, or do they have a captive raise and
release
program?

       Does anyone know why little blue butterflies seem to have a tough

time?

 The Miami blue (Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri) is a small butterfly
with bright blue forewings on both sexes, a wide dark outer border on
the forewing in females and an orange-capped eyespot on the hindwing.
This subspecies once occurred from mainland peninsular Florida as far
north as Hillsborough and Volusia counties, southward to southern
Florida and the Keys, including the Dry Tortugas.
 The Miami Blue Butterfly is only confirmed to exist in one single
colony on the Florida Keys. There were no confirmed sightings of this
butterfly anywhere for several years before it was found in 2000 in a
small colony of perhaps as few as 50 individuals.The Miami Blue flies
year round in a succession of broods. Its eggs are laid in the flowers
of certain plants including the Nickerbean and the Balloon Vine. The
caterpillars then eat the seeds of the plant as they develop.The Miami
blue butterfly is the only subspecies of Hemiargus thomasi in the United

States. Its larvae mature in the stem and seed pods of specific host
plants. Being dependant upon interactions with ants, the larvae leave
their entrance holes open for ants to enter. This makes them more
susceptible to pesticide poisoning.
 The Miami Blue used to be quite widespread in Southern Florida but the
destruction of its habitat has led it to the very brink of extinction.
Campaigns exists to help raise awareness of the plight of this tiny
animal and to encourage the restoration of the butterfly and its habitat

so that the butterfly can regain its former abundance.








 
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