http://10.70.15.71/taxonomy/term/35/0 en http://10.70.15.71/butterfly/Philotes/sonorensis <p>This spectacularly beautiful butterfly occurs at Washington and Lang Crossing. It is intensely <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary/3#term137"><acronym title="When populations of an organism are found only in small patches, even though those populations may be very abundant or the overall geographic range of the organism is vast. For example, populations of the Arctic Skipper are found in very small areas but the species has a circumboreal distribution.">local</acronym></a> on the West slope of the Sierra, flying along rocky cliffs in canyons where the <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary/3#term128"><acronym title="The species or set of species of plants that caterpillars must eat to develop properly. Host plant specificity can vary greatly across butterfly species, ranging from only 1 plant species to dozens of suitable plant species. Host plant specificity can promote speciation between two or more groups of closely related through reproductive isolation. Prime examples of this are Euphilotes blue butterflies and some Apodemia metalmarks that almost exclusively use different species or varieties buckwheats (Eriogonum) as larval hosts. A similar situation has been demonstrated in Mitoura hairstreaks that feed on trees in the family Cupressaceae (junipers, incense-cedar, cypresses).">host plant</acronym></a>, the succulent <i>Dudleya cymosa</i>, grows; but it is not found in many places where the plant occurs. The butterfly emerges extremely early in the year and is thus easy to miss; often, when it is out, there is nothing in bloom for it to visit. It has been taken as early as late February at 5000' in a drought year. Usually it is out March-May at Washington and April-June at Lang. Eggs are laid singly on the host; the <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary/3#term87"><acronym title="The second stage of Lepidoptera metamorphosis. The primary activity in this stage is eating, eating, and eating. In fact, it is only the larval stage of a butterfly or moth that grows and “runt” adults can result from a poor diet as a caterpillar. ">larva</acronym></a> bores inside one of the succulent leaves, creating a translucent "window" easy for the cognoscenti to spot. It pupates among dead leaf bases when the plant is senescing and remains dormant for about 9 months. Males frequently spill down a cliff, then rise to the top and do it again. Some populations occur on <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary/3#term167"><acronym title="A rock type derived from subducted ocean floor material that are characterized by unusually high concentrations of magnesium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, and nickel. Sodium and calcium are in unusually low concentrations. As a result, few plants are able to grow on these soils, and those that can are usually “edaphic endemics” (see above) and exhibit stunted growth patterns. Serpentine habitats also frequently are home to unique animals (for example see the Sleepy Dusky-wing or Muir’s Hairstreak). In this study, large portions of the “Washington” sampling site are serpentine.">serpentine</acronym></a>, but ours are on <a class="glossary-term" href="/glossary/3#term140"><acronym title="A rock type that is composed of formerly small-sized particles (“sedimentary”, like the grains of sands on lakeshores) that are then exposed to high pressures and temperatures and become compacted into solid stone and are altered chemically.">metasedimentary</acronym></a> substrates.</p> <p>When this early-bird butterfly has flowers to visit, they are usually Fiddleneck (<i>Amsinckia</i>) or some <i>Brodiaea</i> or other.</p> Philotes Sun, 28 May 2006 18:08:12 +0000 admin 118 at http://10.70.15.71