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Feeling Blue in Miami As We Watch the Largest Extinction of United States Butterflies by Dennis Olle

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Feeling Blue in Miami As We Watch the Largest Extinction of United States Butterflies by Dennis Olle Marc Averette James L. Monroe Feeling Blue in Miami as We Watch the Largest Extinction of United States Butterflies by Dennis Olle Right: A 1923 photograph of Brickell Fishbaugh W.A. Hammock, where Schaus’ Swallowtail was Introduction Although, the decline of butterflies in first found in 1911. “We protect what we love, we love what we southern Florida has been ongoing for many understand, and we understand what we are years, here I share my personal notes (both Above: A 2010 photograph of the northern taught.” J.Y. Cousteau. biased and prejudicial) on how we got to this point. end of Brickell Hammock that provides I was recently asked to write an article Any analysis of butterfly conservation clues to the demise of Schaus’ Swallowtail for these pages regarding the state of butterfly in southern Florida needs to begin with the and other south Florida butterflies. conservation in southern Florida in response understanding that there are tremendous, to an ever-rapidly disappearing suite of continuing human-inspired pressures on a Opposite page: One of the last Miami butterflies, some of which are found nowhere very fragile and now considerably reduced Blues seen at Bahia Honda SP. Jan. 23, 2010. else in the world. Candidly, many of our landscape: pine rocklands interspersed with butterflies are gravely imperiled and the Antillean hardwood hammocks and finger outlook for them is grim. glades of fresh water, the latter flowing to Miami Blues are the only animals named On a personal note, in 2001 I was on a This development may not come as a North America’s only coral reef, with the for the city (and now county) of Miami: nature walk along the Silver Palm Trail at surprise to those who have been following the exposed remnants of that reef system forming a metropolis of relatively recent origin Bahia Honda State Park in when I was shown status of butterflies in recent years, either in the bulk of the Florida Keys. (incorporated in 1896) with a population of a my first Miami Blue — I was hooked on Florida (as previously discussed three years few thousand souls at the turn of the previous butterflying. ago, separately in these pages by Marc Minno Miami Blues — Revived? century, now burgeoning with a population Since my article on the demise of Miami and myself [American Butterflies 18:3].) The A discussion of the current state of South of 2.6 million just in Miami-Dade County Blues appeared in the aforementioned edition best I can say is that we are now in a position Florida butterfly conservation must begin with (not counting contiguous Broward or Monroe of American Butterflies (at pp. 4-14), Miami to monitor and perhaps measure their decline. the “ebb and flow” of Miami Blues. counties). Blues, which now occur only within the 4 American Butterflies,Fall/Winter 2013 5 Google Maps Going Going: Miami Blue, Schaus’ Swallowtail, Florida Leafwing, Bartram’s Scrub-Hairstreak, ‘Keys’ Pilatka Skipper, Florida White, Florida Purplewing Holly L. Salvato Gone: Zestos Skipper, ‘Rockland’ Meske’s Skipper remote islands of the Key West National reason, circa late 1990s, the United States Fish Wildlife Refuge, was finally listed by the and Wildlife Service (USFWS) (the agency federal government as an endangered species. responsible administering the Endangered The path traveled to this now “protected” Species Act) decided to take the Miami Blue Above: A map showing the last two colonies of Schaus’ Swallowtail in the United States, status was a rocky one, and a nightmare of off the waiting list. North Key Largo — from which Schaus’ Swallowtail may now be gone — and Elliott Key. bureaucratic bungling and red tape. The I imagine their thinking was “that Miami Blue (along with other butterflies butterfly’s status was unknown, let’s just Opposite page: A forlorn Schaus’ Swallowtail. May 19, 2011. Elliott Key, Miami-Dade Co., FL. discussed below) was in line for endangered sweep it under the rug, I mean who’s going status long ago. However, for whatever to notice anyway, right?” Well, actually, the 6 American Butterflies,Fall/Winter 2013 7 Miguel Vieira Jeffrey Glassberg Jeffrey Holly L. Salvato Jeffrey Glassberg Jeffrey Miami Blue’s status was known, and was in Federally endangered (endangered-August, dire need of protection. Actually, some thought 2011; full listing-April, 2012). it was already extinct. As a result, a recovery plan for Miami Then a lone population was encountered Blues is now being drafted, which may in Bahia Honda State Park in 1999 (see provide a path forward toward bringing this American Butterflies Spring 2000). butterfly back from the brink; or perhaps it Immediately thereafter NABA petitioned the will just sit on the shelf and collect dust, as so USFWS to emergency list the butterfly as many recovery plans nationwide do. endangered. Nothing was done in response; however, against all odds the State of Florida’s Top: A Florida Leafwing is superimposed Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, over an image of its former habitat on Big perhaps in cognoscente of the fact that they Pine Key, Monroe Co., Florida. This may were the keepers of the last population, did act be the only way to see Florida Leafwings in response to NABA’s entreaties, and the blue in this habitat in the future. Feb. 6, 2003. was State-listed as endangered shortly after their rediscovery. Opposite page top: Some remaining In 2006 a second Miami Blue population pine rockland habitat at Long Pine Key, was discovered, flying in the Key West Everglades National Park. Jan. 2012. National Wildlife Refuge (see American Butterflies Summer 2006), and more than a Opposite page bottom: Florida decade after NABA’s original petition, the Duskywings are also in decline. Mar. 26, USFWS belatedly listed the Miami Blue as 1999. Big Pine Key, Monroe Co., FL 8 American Butterflies,Fall/Winter 2013 9 In an attempt to increase the next chemical pesticides, etc.). Fortunately, both species; note, I generally come down on the generation of swallowtails, the University the leafwing and hairstreak were reinstated as side of listing and resulting governmental of Florida was allowed to harvest eggs and candidates for federal protection in 2006, and involvement. caterpillars during the spring 2013 flight now are currently proposed for endangered Having said that, know that just season, in the hopes of rearing swallowtails species status, with the contingent prospect identifying the governments (each with their in the safety of the greenhouse and laboratory of critical habitat being designated for their separate bureaucracies) that are routinely environment and then releasing them into the recovery. Although formerly widespread in involved in “butterfly conservation” is wild. South Florida and on the Keys, as it stands daunting: the USFWS, including the However, historic attempts at bolstering now, Florida Leafwings occur only within individual wildlife refuges, e.g., National the wild populations by releasing captive Everglades National Park. As recently as six Key Deer Refuge as well as the USFWS bred individuals had, at best, only fleeting years ago there was a significant population regional field offices (Vero Beach, FL); the success, largely because the main factors on Big Pine Key, mainly in the National National Park Service (including Everglades that caused the swallowtails’ decline were Key Deer Refuge, but this population now and Biscayne National Parks); the State of never rectified; in fact, the factors were never appears to be extirpated due to habitat Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection, really identified, let alone fixed. Aside from mismanagement. Bartram’s Scrub-Hairstreak including its Division of State Parks (and the the obvious range-wide loss of habitat, one maintains a handful of small, localized individual South Florida parks in that system); derivative “habitat loss” theory potentially populations within the southern Florida the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission; explaining the swallowtails decline, even mainland, as well as on Big Pine Key. The University of Florida (McGuire Center on conservation lands, was the need for for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity); Monroe substantial habitat restoration. In particular, 7. With respect to the Florida White it has County Mosquito Control District; Miami- more hardwood hammocks, with larger been increasingly clear that the endemic Dade County Parks Dept. Just arranging from a time when rafts of Wood densities of the swallowtail’s host plants — subspecies can no longer be reliably found in meetings (apart from consensus) of these Storks drifted over the Everglades torchwood and wild lime — were probably Florida. Only a few populations remain. “stakeholders” is an exercise in itself, since required. Ideally, such efforts would have you cannot assume they talk to each other; in been undertaken decades ago, but better late 8. Florida Purplewings, which once fact, you should assume the opposite. than never once habitat is restored, and once maintained an extensive range in southern With this in mind, one relative bright spot Who’s next? Schaus’ Swallowtails’ host plants are more Florida and the Keys, are now quite localized that occurred during the Miami Blue debacle 1. Unfortunately, Miami Blue is just one of abundant on these islands it is hoped that the on a few islands in the Florida Keys. over the last decade was the creation of the several severely imperiled butterfly species in swallowtails may better disperse. Imperiled Butterfly Working Group (discussed (or formerly in) South Florida: It’s a good plan, but can the butterfly below). hold on that long, given its low population Government Of particular concern is the oft- 2. In June 2013 the USFWS acknowledged numbers? Time will tell. In my experience, one of the biggest tools encountered bureaucratic mind-set, that both Zestos Skipper for, and impediments to, the protection and exemplified by the following three 5.
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