WINGS ESSAYS ON INVERTEBRATE CONSERVATION

THE XERCES SOCIETY SPRING 2015 CONTENTS

Roads are ubiquitous in the modern landscape. This issue of Wings examines some of the consequences they carry for insects and other invertebrates.

Advocacy and Collaboration On Behalf of Invertebrate Conservation Scott Hoffman Black Page 3.

Pollinator Conservation at Sixty Miles an Hour Jennifer Hopwood and Matthew Shepherd More than seventeen million acres of roadsides stretch across U.S. landscapes. Man- aged with care, these can provide habitat for invertebrates and other wildlife. Page 5.

Blue Highways, Green Rockworms, Golden Stoneflies Celeste Searles Mazzacano Rainfall and snowmelt flowing off roads into rivers and streams can have negative impacts on aquatic invertebrates, but with care those can be mitigated. Page 10.

The Butterfly and the Road Grader Scott Hoffman Black Maintenance on rural roads in Yamhill County, Oregon, has been changed to accom- modate the needs of an endangered butterfly and its caterpillar host plant. Page 16.

Conservation Spotlight The Greater Atlanta Pollinator Partnership is becoming a model project for collabo- ration to address the needs of pollinators in urbanized landscapes. Page 22.

Invertebrate Notes A roundup of new books and recent research. Page 24.

Staff Profile Meet Jennifer Hopwood, Midwest senior pollinator conservation specialist. Page 26.

Xerces News Updates on Xerces Society projects and successes. Page 27.

2 WINGS Advocacy and Collaboration On Behalf of Invertebrate Conservation

Scott Hoffman Black

The Xerces Society has always held an gressive or overtly political or tied to a interesting position at the intersection narrow mantra and consequently, are of advocacy and collaboration. From not particularly happy to support such its very beginning, the work Xerces did things. But I grew up in a house where for butterfly conservation both pushed the word was very positive. In fact, ac- agencies to protect these beautiful ani- cording to Merriam-Webster, the defi- mals and reached out to help them with nition of advocacy is “the act or process on-the-ground activities that would im- of supporting a cause or proposal.” My prove essential habitat. mom spoke out for better workshop The word “advocacy” elicits a range facilities for people with learning dis- of responses. Some people see it as ag- abilities and my dad led an effort that

A hallmark of Xerces is that staff members are always prepared to engage directly with people to effect change. Here, Mace Vaughan, co-director of our pollinator program, speaks during a field day about creating habitat on farms. Photograph by Paul Jepson.

SPRING 2015 3 ultimately stopped a large dam being insecticide spraying in Idaho, helped built on the Niobrara River— the last shape policies to protect roadless for- relatively wild river in Nebraska. And ests, and worked to get pollinators added now, as a parent myself, I work with my to the Farm Bill as a primary resource wife to ensure a quality education for concern. We have partnered with or- our children. ganizations across America to present In my career as a conservationist, workshops that have trained more than I have advocated for many causes. En- thirty thousand farmers and other land dangered species, old-growth forests, managers to better manage their land- and wild rivers each need strong cham- scapes for pollinators and other ben- pions. But I’ve also strived to work with eficial insects—and our work has led to as many people as possible for the com- more than two hundred thousand acres mon cause of a better environment. If of flowering habitat for pollinators. We the people I oppose come to the table, have also protected dozens of imperiled I am willing to roll up my sleeves and species and the habitats on which they help with the hands-on work of species depend, as well as worked to improve conservation and to provide the techni- broad landscapes for a whole suite of cal assistance that land managers often species. lack when it comes to invertebrates. Whether it is petitioning for the One way that Xerces advocates for mardon skipper under the Endangered the most vulnerable species is by peti- Species Act and then actively participat- tioning the federal government to list ing in with a multi-agency group to put species under the Endangered Species in place conservation practices so that Act. Although some people see this as it ultimately did not need to be listed, controversial, the provision allow ing or advocating for federal protection for “petitioning” of the U.S. Fish and Wild- the monarch butterfly while at the same life Service was written into the ESA as time leading an effort to cooperatively a way for scientists and other citizens protect and restore habitat that this spe- to provide information to the USFWS cies will need to survive across vast land- so they can effectively ensure that the scapes, our goal is ensure that no more most vulnerable species are considered. species will go extinct as happened to In the early 1970s the Smithsonian pe- our namesake, the Xerces blue. titioned the USFWS to protect sixty spe- Melded together, advocacy and col- cies of plants. If a petition does not have laboration combine in powerful ways. merit the USFWS can simply deny it. The We will continue to stand up for species Xerces Society is known for preparing at risk but at the same time we are pre- scientifically defensible petitions that pared to sit down with organizations provide substantial information with and individuals and do what’s necessary which the USFWS can determine de- for invertebrate conservation. After all, cline and threats. in the end it really does not matter how By using two apparently opposing species and their habitats are protected approaches, Xerces has accomplished a or who does the protecting, as long as great deal. We have protected hundreds these species retain their rightful place of thousands of acres from unneeded in the world.

4 WINGS Pollinator Conservation at Sixty Miles an Hour

Jennifer Hopwood and Matthew Shepherd

With the landscape flashing by as one immense amount of land is dedicated to speeds down the freeway, thoughts of roadsides, which form one of the most pollinators may be limited to a brief extensive networks of linear habitats on glimpse of honey bee hives in an or- earth. Roadways that cross natural areas chard, a bright patch of flowers beside have negative consequences, but those the road, or an unfortunate butterfly that pass through urban areas and in- tossed in the slipstream. Indeed, pol- tensely farmed landscapes often provide linators and roadsides might seem like the only natural or semi-natural habitat an incongruous pairing, given that in the vicinity. roads are known to fragment habitat, Considerable impetus was given to aid in the spread of invasive plant spe- pollinator conservation along roadsides cies, and contribute to animal mor- in June 2014, when President Obama is- tality. But, despite the risks associated sued a memorandum titled “Creating a with roads themselves, roadsides can Federal Strategy to Promote the Health often be of benefit to pollinators. An of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators.”

Millions of acres of land are adjacent to urban and rural roads throughout the United States, offering many opportunities to create habitat in landscapes that would otherwise be barren. Photograph copyright iStock.com/dlewis33.

SPRING 2015 5 Recognizing that the decline of pollina- reproduce, or to overwinter. Pollinators tor populations has broad and poten- might visit roadsides to sip nectar from tially long-term consequences for food wildflowers or may just pass through, security, the economy, and biodiversity using them as corridors between frag- across the United States, the President’s ments of other habitat, but roadsides memorandum outlined steps to create can also support entire life cycles, nur- a national strategy to address the prob- turing pollinators from egg to adult. lem. The Federal Highway Administra- Roadside pollinator communities can be tion was among the agencies tasked quite diverse, and can include bees and with identifying conservation strategies butterflies with general habitat needs to stem the loss of pollinators. (bumble bees, for example, which will In the United States, the best esti- forage on a range of flowers and nest in mates are that federal or state highway old rodent burrows), as well as species agencies manage well over seventeen with very specific, narrow habitat re- million acres of roadside lands, and, in quirements—such as the Fender’s blue addition, national parks and national butterfly (featured in the article on page forests manage thousands of miles of 16), which has a limited range and relies roadways. These lands can support a di- upon a single species of lupine as its cat- versity of flowers and may have reduced erpillar host plant. exposure to insecticides; moreover, the Not all roadsides are equally valu- soil in such areas is rarely disturbed to able habitat. Those that are mown or the same degree as other soils nearby— intensively sprayed with herbicides, on farms, in gardens, in industrial dis- maintained as turf grass, or planted tricts —and undisturbed soil is critical with introduced grasses such as brome for ground-nesting bees. or fescue support far fewer numbers and From the perspective of a pollinator, species of pollinators than those with roadsides can serve as places to refuel, to a diversity of native plants. Vegetation

Long-horned bee (genus Svastra) drinking nectar from black- eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta). Photograph by Bryan E. Reynolds.

6 WINGS In many areas, roadsides are mowed short and thus offer little support to invertebrates and other wildlife. Where they are allowed to grow, especially if they have diverse flow- ers, roadsides can provide important habitat. Photograph by Jennifer Hopwood. management also influences how pol- dominated by tallgrass prairie, with linators use roadsides and even influ- millions of acres covering more than ences the number of pollinators killed 85 percent of the state. After European by passing vehicles. Researchers in Eu- settlers discovered the fertile soil that rope found that the frequency of mow- lay beneath the prairie sod, the sea of ing was linked to the proportion of but- grass and wildflowers was rapidly con- terflies killed; those that had to disperse verted to cultivated crops. Less than to find new habitat after roadsides were one-tenth of one percent of the prairie mowed had a greater likelihood of col- remains, and Iowa now leads the nation liding with vehicles. Moreover, road- as the state with the most altered land- sides with greater diversity of plants had scape. One ray of hope is that, in 1988, fewer butterflies killed by traffic; high- the Iowa legislature established an In- quality roadside habitat may reduce the tegrated Roadside Vegetation Manage- rate of pollinator mortality by reducing ment (IRVM) program, stating that “It the necessity to seek new territory. is declared to be in the general public In some areas, roadsides are among welfare of Iowa and a highway purpose the few remaining places for some spe- for the vegetation of Iowa’s roadsides to cies to live. Iowa, for example, was once be preserved, planted, and maintained

SPRING 2015 7 The regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) is a butterfly of prairies, meadows, and other sunny locations. Carefully managed roadsides can provide the habitat it needs. Photographed on common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) by Bryan E. Reynolds. to be safe, visually interesting, ecologi- Highway Beautification Act. Many of the cally integrated, and useful for many provisions of this Act limited billboards, purposes.” The legislature’s action rec- junkyards, and other eyesores, but it was ognized the great opportunity for eco- also the first federal effort to encourage logical restoration and cost savings of- the planting of flowers on roadsides. It fered by Iowa’s more than six hundred was passed thanks to the efforts of the thousand acres of roadsides—more than First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, who ar- the combined area of federal, state, and gued that highway beautification was county parks in the state. Since then, connected to many other social issues, much excellent work has been done to ranging from mental health and pover- protect roadside habitats in Iowa and ty to access to parks and recreation. Her the wildlife they support. The corner- campaign on behalf of highway beauti- stone of the IRVM program has been the fication and roadside plantings of native establishment and protection of native wildflowers continued for decades. To vegetation, together with a more judi- celebrate her seventieth birthday, Lady cious use of herbicides, mowing, and Bird Johnson established the Lady Bird other management tools. Johnson Wildflower Center near her Though it has not yet been widely home in Texas, with the intent of fos- adopted across the country, the use of tering research and promoting the use native plants to revegetate roadsides is of native plants in landscaping. “I want not a new practice. On October 22, 1965, Texas to look like Texas,” she once said, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the “and Vermont to look like Vermont, and

8 WINGS every state to look like itself. I just hate It is not always necessary to replant to see the land homogenized.” roadsides for them to have value for pol- The use of native plants has addi- linators or other wildlife. Sometimes re- tional benefits beyond aesthetics and ducing intensive mowing or changing connections to natural heritage and herbicide spraying regimes is all that state identity. Native plants along road- is required to allow existing remnant sides can also serve functional roles by habitat to flourish. And reducing the stabilizing soil or slowing the onslaught intensity of maintenance provides cost of invasive weeds. Plants also improve savings as well as ecological benefits. A water quality by reducing runoff. Be- study in Florida found that mowing the cause native plants are best adapted to state’s roadsides costs $13 million every local growing conditions, they are more year; altering mowing regimes can save able to tolerate drought or heat, and are money, reduce pollution, and benefit less likely to encroach on neighboring pollinators without compromising ero- land. And, of course, native plant com- sion control or motorist safety. munities support more native wildlife, Stretching across agricultural and including pollinators, than do their urban landscapes from seaboards to nonnative counterparts. mountain passes, our roadsides offer a The Xerces Society is working with conservation opportunity that should environmental consulting company not be overlooked. And it isn’t. Road- ICF International under a contract with sides throughout the United States are the Federal Highway Administration bursting anew with color and wildlife. to develop best management practices The situation was summed up by Jeff for roadsides. As part of this project we Caster, a landscape architect with the had the opportunity to hold a series of Florida Department of Transportation, discussions with highway managers who noted that roadsides have histori- across the country. These interactions cally been managed as a utility rather proved to be extremely valuable, pro- than as a natural resource: “We main- viding insight into the constraints of tained roadsides to keep nature from roadside management, and also high- encroaching, thinking that vehicular lighting both staff enthusiasm for pol- traffic is incompatible with functioning linators and the existing commitment habitat and corridors for wildlife. But that highway agencies have to sustain- we know now that roadsides can help to able management of roadsides. Bonnie provide an important natural environ- Harper-Lore, a restoration ecologist ment.” Though change is often slow, it is now retired from the Federal Highway coming steadily to a roadside near you. Administration, noted that when na- tive plants are established, birds, pol- linators, and biodiversity follow. These Between them Jennifer Hopwood and Mat­ conversations also underscored the fact thew Shepherd have a quarter of a century that, although the initial cost of native of experience in pollinator conservation. vegetation is higher than that of using Jennifer is Xerces’ senior pollinator con­ nonnative plants, native plantings are servation specialist for the Midwest, and more cost-effective in the long run. ­Matthew is the communications director.

SPRING 2015 9 Blue Highways, Green Rockworms, Golden Stoneflies

Celeste Searles Mazzacano

In his book Blue Highways, William Least timate connection through the runoff Heat-Moon describes a journey along that flows from contemporary roadways the back roads of America, following into surrounding streams and seeps into the blue lines on a road map. Human- groundwater. ity’s oldest highways are also blue, the Roads expand the amount of imper- twisting threads of rivers and streams vious surface in the landscape, through that form a ready-made network for which rain and melting snow are un- moving people and cargo over long dis- able to percolate. The resulting runoff— tances. Highways of packed dirt, gravel, known as “nonpoint source pollution”— and asphalt have largely replaced these is a leading threat to the quality of our watery blue roads, but they retain an in- waters. Urbanization is accompanied by

Rainfall running off roads and other paved areas affects creeks in dramatic ways, both from pollutants that it carries and the volume and speed at which it travels. In many places, streams seem little more than open drains. Photograph by Matthew Shepherd.

10 WINGS As adults, dragonflies are aerial predators. As larvae, they live for two or more years in creeks and ponds and can be adversely af- fected by sedimentation and changed water flows. Widow skim- mer (Libellula luctuosa) photographed by Bryan E. Reynolds. greater density and acreage of roads—as traps sediment and contaminants, has well as of such other impervious sur- been reduced. faces as rooftops, sidewalks, driveways, The escalated flooding and speed and parking lots—with corresponding- of peak flows have direct and indirect ly significant impacts on water quality impacts on the invertebrates living and aquatic life. Roads can alter stream in streams. Although many aquatic hydrology, raise water temperatures, insects, such as flat-headed mayflies and deliver a toxic stew of sediment, (Heptageniidae), larvae of water penny pesticides, heavy metals, trash, petro- beetles (Psephenidae), and net-winged leum products, and bacteria to streams midges (Blephariceridae), are adapted to and wetlands, and to their invertebrate life in a moving current, the faster, more ­inhabitants. intense flows can be too much for them, Thanks to paved surfaces, water scouring the substrate and washing out runs more swiftly into streams, reach- insects and their habitats. Fast-moving ing them in a larger volume and quanti- water can also erode stream banks, add- ty than it does from permeable surfaces. ing to the sediment load washed in from This can cause flooding to increase in surrounding developed areas. Aquatic both size and frequency, a characteristic invertebrates such as golden stoneflies known as “flashiness.” This is especially (Perlidae), green rockworm caddisflies true if a stream’s riparian buffer, which (Rhyacophilidae), and prong-gill may- helps slow, cool, and absorb water and flies (Leptophlebiidae) have delicate gill

SPRING 2015 11 structures that are fouled or damaged by ods; thus a perennial stream that once this additional sediment, making them held water year-round may become an unable to obtain enough oxygen; such intermittent stream that dries up in late sensitive groups die or leave in search of summer. The impacts of such changes better habitat and are replaced by sed- on aquatic invertebrate communities iment-tolerant invertebrates. Greater can be dramatic. Some species, includ- sediment loads can also interfere with ing freshwater mussels and a variety of invertebrate feeding activities by reduc- dragonflies, stoneflies, and snails, re- ing visibility, compromising the abil- quire water all year. Changes in stream ity of predators to find food, decreasing hydrology can completely remove these light penetration so that plant food for groups from the community. In their grazers and scrapers is less abundant, place, species with desiccation-resistant and clogging the feeding apparatus of eggs or larvae, which allow them to sur- filter feeders. Heavier sediment load also vive periods of stream drying, may be- impacts habitat, reducing the heteroge- come dominant. neity that is important for sustaining Stormwater also carries the invis- a diversity of aquatic invertebrates. A ible threat of chemical contaminants. healthy mosaic of plants, cobble, grav- Vehicles deposit tire rubber, heavy met- el, and sand can be transformed into a als, motor oil, and petroleum on road thick, featureless coating of silt with few surfaces, and hazardous materials can places for invertebrates to live. spill in traffic accidents. Because road A longer-term change due to in- networks extend into parking lots and creases in paved surfaces is that water driveways, water flowing off these hard doesn’t percolate into the ground and surfaces carries pesticides and herbi- recharge groundwater. This lowers the cides from gardens, parks, and land- water table that sustains a stream’s base scaping. Some of these are immediately flow and cools it during low-water peri- toxic, while others exert more subtle but

Stoneflies are among the many invertebrates whose lives are split between water and air. Their aquatic larvae require year-round water and may not survive when urbanization disrupts water flows. Photograph by Bryan E. Reynolds.

12 WINGS chronic community-level effects on in- vertebrate reproduction, feeding, and predator avoidance. Many rivers and streams are listed as “impaired” under the Clean Water Act due to thermal pollution. Water running off sun-heated roads and park- ing lots can reach temperatures of up to 11 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius) warmer than that of summer rainfall. Most organisms have a fairly narrow range of temperatures within which they can function; when thermal tol- erances are exceeded, respiration, feed- ing, movement, and reproduction can be negatively affected. At higher water temperatures the tolerance of aquatic animals to additional toxins such as chloride from road salts can also be re- Filter-feeding invertebrates, such as the duced. Sensitive aquatic groups such as western pearlshell mussel (Margaritifera stoneflies and caddisflies have a maxi- falcata), can be choked by sediment or poi- mum temperature tolerance of about 63 soned by pollutants. Photograph by Roger degrees Fahrenheit (17 degrees Celsius). Tabor, USFWS Pacific Region.

Road maintenance brings its own gal- calcium chloride. Much of this salt en- lery of impacts. Pavement sealants can ters streams and groundwater. Natural be a source of polycyclic aromatic hy- background concentrations of chloride drocarbons, and chemical dust suppres- are generally around a few parts per mil- sants sprayed on unpaved roads can de- lion (ppm), but in areas where road salts liver salts, synthetic polymers, and pe- are used, chloride concentrations can be troleum-based hydrocarbons to streams vastly greater, especially in pulses dur- and wetlands. Depending on their ing thaws. concentration, these materials can be Long-term datasets from rural directly toxic to aquatic invertebrates, streams in the northeastern United impair reproduction or development, States show that by the late 1990s back- and alter the diversity and composition ground chloride concentrations in- of the aquatic invertebrate community. creased up to 140 ppm, more than an De-icing agents are an issue of par- order of magnitude greater than in the ticular concern in the northern United 1960s. In winter, some streams had salt States and Canada. About half of the concentrations as great as 25 percent of U.S. states use road salts during the win- that in seawater. (The salt concentra- ter, collectively applying more than tion of seawater is roughly 35,000 ppm.) twenty-two million tons of salt annu- A 2010 study by the U.S. Geological ally, primarily sodium chloride and Survey found, in the northern metro-

SPRING 2015 13 Water striders, also called pond skaters, water skeeters, or skimmers, are commonly seen on the surface of ponds and slow-moving streams. Photograph by Celeste Searles Mazzacano. politan areas examined, that from No- and impacts of road salts, such as salting vember through April more than half of prior to a storm or mixing the salt with the streams had chloride concentrations other de-icing materials such as sand or in excess of levels recommended by the beet juice, and using best management U.S. Environmental Protection Agency practices at storage depots to prevent to protect aquatic life (230 ppm). groundwater contamination. Excess salt in streams can harm the These various threats collectively metabolism of aquatic organisms by up- impact the base of the food chain in setting the balance of water and ions in streams and rivers. The resulting de- their cells. Impacts have been seen in creases in aquatic invertebrate diversity water fleas (Cladocera), aquatic sowbugs and altered community composition (Isopoda), caddisflies (Trichoptera), and can have a ripple effect, since aquatic in- non-biting midges (Chironomidae) at sects and other invertebrates are an im- chloride levels ranging from a few hun- portant source of food not only for fish dred ppm to a few thousand. High salt but for amphibians, birds, and many concentrations change the density of other terrestrial animals. water and can interfere with the season- al mixing of waters in lakes, leading to Until the flying cars of the future are decreased oxygen levels in the bottom developed, roads are here to stay. Even layers. so, there are ways in which creeks and Although the use of road salt as a de- their surrounding roads and other im- icing agent can be necessary for human pervious surfaces can be made more safety, its deleterious impacts are well compatible with healthy communities recognized. Many municipalities are in- of aquatic invertebrates. The response vestigating ways to reduce the quantity to flooding has often been to straighten

14 WINGS a stream channel or armor its banks, sign of housing structures to reduce the which further reduces habitat, discon- acreage and width of roads, discourage nects a stream from its floodplain, ex- overbuilding of parking lots, maintain acerbates erosion, and increases the green spaces, and use pervious paving frequency and volume of peak flows. options in low-traffic areas can achieve But maintaining or restoring vegetated substantial reductions in regional im- stream buffers and reconnecting chan- pervious coverage. Rain gardens are a nelized streams with their surrounding well-established method for individual floodplains and wetlands helps slow and homeowners to manage rooftop dis- cool road runoff, traps sediment and charges, and have been widely adopted contaminants, increases infiltration of across the eastern United States. overland flow into groundwater, and The seventeenth-century French provides wildlife habitat and corridors. mathematician and philosopher Blaise Portland, Oregon, the city in which Pascal wrote, “Rivers are roads which the Xerces Society is based, has a pro- move, and which carry us whither we gram that actively manages stormwater desire to go.” With improved planning with ecoroofs and by means of bioswales and mitigation practices, we can also installed in streets and parking lots; help rivers— and the aquatic inverte- these combine to trap contaminants, brates that inhabit them—move toward slow and cool water, and reduce the a better direction in the future. stormwater burden on urban streams. Seattle, Washington, another city in the rain-drenched maritime Pacific North- Celeste Searles Mazzacano directs the Xer­ west, promotes “green stormwater in- ces Society’s aquatic conservation program frastructure” to capture storm runoff and works extensively with invertebrates in and increase percolation. Efficient de- streams, wetlands, and springs.

Just over an inch long, the citrine forktail (Ischnura hastata) is the smallest damselfly in North America. It is found around marshy ponds and in wet- lands with dense vegetation. Photograph by Bryan E. Reynolds.

SPRING 2015 15 The Butterfly and the Road Grader

Scott Hoffman Black

Recently, I attended an all-day meeting For much of the twentieth century, in which a group of us traveled around the Fender’s blue butterfly was believed Yamhill County to review roadside to be extinct. It was found by lepidopter- management for the endangered Fend- ists Ken Fender, Ralph Macy, and others er’s blue butterfly and its host plant, in the early decades—specimens in mu- Kincaid’s lupine. In attendance were seums were collected between 1929 and butterfly expert Paul Hammond, as well 1937—but by the 1940s it had apparently as staff from the U.S.Fish and Wildlife disappeared (just about the same time Service who are responsible for the pro- the Xerces blue vanished in California). tection of these species under the En- The Fender’s blue was rediscovered in dangered Species Act, and staff from the 1989, twice: there were two independent Yamhill County Public Works Depart- records that year from Paul Hammond ment who are responsible for road man- and Paul Severns. agement. We had very good discussions It is thought that the butterfly once about how to maximize the growth of thrived in the prairies of Oregon’s Wil- Kincaid’s lupine on the back slope—the lamette Valley, but during the past 140 vegetated area that slopes up and away years an estimated 99 percent of this na- from the roadside ditch—while at the tive prairie has been turned into farm- same time working to deter the plant land or developed for cities and towns. from taking root in the roadbed itself, The Fender’s blue was listed as endan- which periodically gets graded. This co- gered under the Endangered Species operative effort has been several years in Act in 2000. The butterfly is presently the making. It did not, though, start off relegated to small pockets in the upland so congenially. prairies where Kincaid’s lupine —itself The Fender’s blue (Plebejus [Icaricia] listed as threatened—survives. icarioides fenderi) is a diminutive butter- Once a species is listed as threat- fly in the family Lycaenidae (gossamer- ened or endangered under the ESA, it is winged butterflies), with a wingspan of protected by an impressive set of provi- about an inch. The upper sides of the sions. First, the ESA gives the Secretary wings of the males are an iridescent of the Interior authority to acquire land sky-blue, and that of the females a rusty on behalf of any listed species. Second, brown. The under sides of the wings of the act calls for the cooperation of all both sexes are creamy tan and marked federal agencies in the conservation of by black spots surrounded by a fine any listed species whose habitats occur white border or halo. The Fender’s blue on land under their jurisdiction or that lays its eggs on Kincaid’s lupine (Lupi­ might be affected by their actions or by nus oreganus var. kincaidii), the primary any actions funded or authorized by the plant its caterpillars will eat. federal government. Third—and most

16 WINGS pertinent for this story—it is illegal to with a road grader, a large vehicle with “take” an endangered species of animal. a sturdy blade that scrapes gravel from The term “to take” is defined as “to ha- the middle of the road and distributes it rass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, toward the edges. Sometimes gravel sev- kill, trap, capture, or collect, or attempt eral inches deep is displaced. In some to engage in any such conduct.” Lim- places, Kincaid’s lupine was growing in ited “taking” may occur under federal the middle of the road, where the grader permits for research purposes or when a removed the plant and destroyed any safe harbor agreement is in place. caterpillars feeding on it; in other plac- The issue of Fender’s blue conserva- es the lupine was growing in or directly tion came to the forefront in Yamhill adjacent to the roadbed, and caterpillars County when a local resident noticed and plants were buried in the grading that Kincaid’s lupine and caterpillars of process. the Fender’s blue were being destroyed Having determined that the county during routine maintenance work on was killing butterflies with its routine the county’s gravel roads. Those roads road grading, as well as potentially im- are periodically smoothed and leveled pacting habitat through its mowing

Maintaining a good surface on a gravel road involves grading, which scrapes gravel from the middle to the edges. In the process, plants growing on the road side of the ditch can be buried, along with any butterfly eggs or caterpillars. Photograph by Bruce Newhouse.

SPRING 2015 17 and herbicide applications, the U.S. Fish Dorothy McKey-Fender, family mem- and Wildlife Service over several years bers of the late Kenneth Fender, after pressed Yamhill County to protect the whom the Fender’s blue butterfly was lupine and the butterfly. The USFWS named—Xerces sent a letter stating that sent letters to the county government unless action was taken we would sue requesting that it solve the problem and Yamhill County in federal court for fail- even offered a $391,000 grant to help ure to comply with the federal Endan- develop a Habitat Conservation Plan gered Species Act. that would have addressed these issues. Protecting species via lawsuits is not Unfortunately, the county commission- a normal course of action for the Xerces ers chafed at the idea of the federal gov- Society, but in cases where actions may ernment telling them what to do. The drive an endangered species further to- USFWS would have required 10 percent ward extinction we sometimes have lit- in matching funds; the county, say- tle choice. Our initial goal was to get the ing that it could not afford the $39,000 county to cease maintenance work that match, rejected the federal grant. affects habitat in roads and ditches un- Frustrated with Yamhill County’s less and until it committed to develop- unwillingness to protect the species, ing a protection plan. The ultimate goal the Xerces Society stepped in. With as- was to have the county create a Habi- sistance from Oregon’s Crag Law Center tat Conservation Plan that established and working with the Center for Biologi- strategies to avoid harming or killing cal Diversity, the Yamhill Watershed the Fender’s blue butterfly. Stewardship Fund, and three individu- The threat of going to court broke als—Laura McMasters, Bill Fender, and the impasse and led to the parties sitting

The male Fender’s blue (Plebejus [Icaricia] icarioides fenderi) has been lik- ened to a piece of the sky fallen to the ground. Photograph by Dana Ross.

18 WINGS Away from the immediate road edge, Kincaid’s lupine can be overwhelmed by com- petition from bracken fern, rose, and other plants. Photograph by Bruce Newhouse. down to seek a possible solution and them unless they complied with the law. ultimately to discuss ways to work to- As you might imagine, the early conver- gether to protect the species. The county sations were somewhat cautious. commissioners approved a $98,000 con- As we talked it through, though, tract with environmental consultant things changed. Xerces’ goal was always Cardno Entrix to prepare the requisite to protect the butterfly and its habitat. Habitat Conservation Plan, and the Xe- The county’s representatives came to rces Society was invited to join a work- understand that this was necessary and, ing group that included members of as important, that we were willing to sit the county’s public works department, down and work with them to find prac- USFWS staff, and Paul Hammond. tical solutions. When this working group was ini- The summer after we entered into tially convened there was not a lot of this process, two consultants were hired trust on either side. This was the county to survey Yamhill County roadsides. that had been recalcitrant about pro- Lepidopterist Dana Ross would search tecting this animal and had even turned for the butterfly, while Salix Associates’ down a grant to develop a plan for these Bruce Newhouse, a fellow of the Oregon butterflies, and I was there representing Native Plant Society, would search for the groups that had threatened to sue the lupine. These surveys were necessary

SPRING 2015 19 Female Fender’s blue perched atop Kincaid’s lupine. Their lives are intertwined. Photograph courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. because in order to be successful any agement had been identified, the group plan that would be developed needed to set about creating site-specific plans. Al- identify all of the potential sites that the though there are general guidelines for county would be required to manage. the management of Fender’s blue and Moreover, securing an assessment by its host plant, Xerces felt that, to avoid independent consultants was an impor- future uncertainty, the working group tant step in building trust and ensuring needed to provide explicit guidance that the working group members would for county staff on what to manage and be able to move forward together. how and when to manage it. Some areas, Once the areas that needed man- for instance, have host plants but no

20 WINGS butterflies; the goal in these areas is to lead to the unfortunate loss of some manage them to provide the best habi- butterflies; with care, though, relatively tat potential for colonization from other few are harmed, and in the longer run sites. Managing weeds in such cases the vast majority of the population is is relatively easier because there is no helped. worry about harming the butterfly. At Now, Yamhill County has demon- sites where the Fender’s blue is already strated an even broader commitment to established, management actions are protecting Fender’s blue and Kincaid’s more challenging because of the need lupine, by agreeing to manage habitat to ensure that the butterfly is given ade- in Deer Creek County Park on behalf of quate protection while still allowing for the butterfly and its host plant. The park mowing and other necessary actions. already has a small number of butterflies Developing site-specific plans was vital in residence and, with restoration, has to improve the chances of recovery for the potential to harbor many more. the butterfly. This process started out as a con- Another focus was to encourage frontation, a face-off over the protec- habitat on the back slope while discour- tion of a species that had already lost aging it in the roadbed. Gravel roads like too much of its habitat. Each side had those managed by the county require its negative impression of the other, grading to maintain a smooth surface and each had misgivings about work- for cars, and anyone who has driven on ing together. But, over time, we became washboard roads that make your teeth a group of individuals who were able to chatter as you drive along can appreci- build mutual trust and respect. Hearing ate why this would be the case. The plan from those at the county with expertise calls for identifying areas where the lu- on roadbed and roadside management pine is growing in the roadbed and ei- has taught me a lot about the challenges ther removing any lupine while butter- faced by county staff who have limited flies are not present, or, if they are pres- time and budgets. On the other hand, ent, moving the caterpillars to nearby Xerces staff and others brought to the host plants that are out of the roadway. table knowledge that made it possible Once this has been accomplished, these to provide clear guidelines for manage- areas will be graded more frequently to ment at each site. Working together will prevent the lupine from recolonizing in ultimately lead to better habitat quality places where it would, in effect, lure the and a brighter future for these little blue butterflies to their death. jewels of the Willamette prairie. The Habitat Conservation Plan does in fact allow for some butterflies to be killed. Although this may seem coun- Xerces Society executive director Scott terproductive, there are situations in Hoffman Black has been involved with which some management is necessary protecting endangered butterflies for two to prevent existing habitat from being decades. He was part of the team that won lost to overgrown weeds and encroach- the Wings Across the Americas 2012 But­ ing trees. In such instances, mowing terfly Conservation Award for conserva­ and other methods of weed control can tion of the mardon skipper.

SPRING 2015 21 CONSERVATION SPOTLIGHT

The Greater Atlanta Pollinator Partnership Between 1990 and 2010, the popula- Botanical Garden, the website offers tion of the metropolitan area of Atlanta, online garden registration, allows map- Georgia, increased by nearly 2.4 million ping to track garden establishment and people, resulting in the loss of close to assess habitat development trends, and 400,000 acres (162,000 hectares) of tree provides a newsletter and other online canopy and green space—an average of educational materials. 54 acres (22 hectares) per day. Alarmed A central part of the GAPP’s mission by this habitat loss and concomitant is to foster gardening with a purpose, declines in pollinators, local organiza- the purpose being pollinator conserva- tions joined together in 2009 to launch tion. All of the urban gardens of partner the Greater Atlanta Pollinator Partner- organization Truly Living Well ­Center ship — GAPP—with the goal of creating for Urban Agriculture, for example, con­ and restoring viable pollinator habitats tain pollinator plantings. Through the throughout Atlanta. Center’s efforts, the American bumble Focusing on a 25-mile (40-kilome- bee (Bombus pensylvanicus), a declining ter) radius around the urban core, the species, has been documented in the GAPP is working to create habitat at an heart of downtown Atlanta. ecologically significant scale by con- So how do you build a successful necting privately and publically owned partnership structure without dedicat- lands through habitat corridors. In ad- ed funding and with no staff? The key dition to education, outreach, and re- is having a true collaboration in which search, key components of this effort each participant brings its strengths for- include using native species when avail- ward and contributes resources, while able, rescuing native plants from con- keeping the focus local. Individual struction sites, controlling invasive spe- partners (including the Xer­ces Society) cies, establishing community gardens, bring their own networks, and the syn- and facilitating citizen science projects. ergy thus developed is powerful. Utiliz- Community participation has been ing the strengths of individual partners tremendous, with more than 30 part- is critical; the Department of Geoscienc- ner organizations and some 230 indi- es at Georgia State University developed vidual gardens registered. Integral to the GAPP map (http://map.gapp.org/#), the GAPP’s success has been its website for example, and members of the Geor- (http://gapp.org), which has been an gia Native Plant Society are champions important tool for increasing aware- of plant rescue. ness, building capacity, and encourag- It is also important, though, not to ing community participation. Created lose focus on the partners’ individual and hosted by the USDA Forest Service missions. Developing schoolyard habi- under an agreement with the Atlanta tats is a priority, since pollinator gardens

22 WINGS can function as ideal outdoor class- pollinator conservation and recently rooms providing both habitat and edu- received a national award for urban cation, and the National Wildlife Fed- conservation. The Cincinnati Nature eration and Captain Planet Foundation Center in Ohio wants to pursue a similar both work on this effort; between them, effort, and groups in Austin, Texas, and they have established more than 130 Savannah, Georgia, are also interested school gardens as part of the GAPP. Sim- in the GAPP model. Now, building upon ilarly, the Greening Youth Foundation the tremendous interest in pollinator and the Atlanta Botanical Garden both conservation in Georgia, the GAPP is advocate for conservation education working on the statewide plan to create and outreach; they joined with Spel- the Georgia Pollinator Partnership. man College and the U.S. Forest Service to offer internships at the Garden that expose students to career opportunities Contributed by Dennis L. Krusac (USDA in plant and pollinator conservation. Forest Service), Jacqueline J. Belwood The GAPP is becoming a model for (Geor ­gia Highlands College), and Jennifer community engagement and urban Cruse -Sanders (Atlanta Botanical Garden).

Developing pollinator-friendly gardens is central to the mission of the Greater Atlanta Pollinator Partnership, and is supported by the efforts of project part- ners and the content of the organization’s website. Photograph by Penny Stowe.

SPRING 2015 23 INVERTEBRATE NOTES

Imperiled Butterfly a Bellwether for Climate Change? The federally endangered Karner blue Lakeshore for some time. Following a butterfly has disappeared from its south- drought in 2012, park rangers found ernmost habitat, an event research- only four butterflies— all male. Sur- ers believe may be an early example of veys fifteen years earlier counted more what climate change could have in store than thirteen hundred. Climate change for the Earth’s more fragile species. The models predict that weather patterns butterfly, which is nonmigratory and will shift northward during the next flies only for short distances, struggled century. That could spell disaster for the to survive at Indiana Dunes National Karner blue. (http://indy.st/1NOewDU.)

Study of Europe’s Wild Bee Species Shows a Risk of Extinctions A new study has recorded information ing. The status of 79 percent remains for all 1,965 of Europe’s wild bee species. unknown, a figure the study’s authors The assessment, part of the IUCN Euro- say points to a lack of expertise and re- pean Red List of Bees and the Status and sources that urgently necessitates heavi- Trends of European Pollinators Project, er investment in pollinator research. shows that 7.7 percent of Europe’s bees The report identifies two main dri­ have declining populations (25.8 per- vers of the pollinator declines: climate cent of wild bumble bees were found change, and shifting farming practices threatened with extinction), while the coupled with agricultural intensifica- populations of 12.6 percent remain sta- tion that leads to major habitat loss and ble and those of 0.7 percent are increas- degradation. (http://bit.ly/1C3pUWb.)

New Books As spring flowers bloom and dragon- ern red-bellied tiger beetle on her home flies, bumble bees, and other creatures turf in New Mexico. Her account is an emerge, readers may find themselves engaging and sometimes humorous excited about getting outside and ob- snapshot of one woman’s connection to serving a diverse array of i­nvertebrates. the natural world—and a meditation on A new book by Sharman Apt Russell, the factors that draw non-scientists to Diary of a Citizen Scientist: Chasing Tiger scientific inquiry. Beetles and Other New Ways of Engag­ Two new field guides could also ing the World (Oregon State University prove to be excellent warm-weather Press), provides inspiration for amateur companions. Bumble Bees of North naturalists. Russell, a writer, spent a year America: An Identification Guide (Princ- studying the little-documented West- eton Field Guides) overflows with pho-

24 WINGS tographs of North America’s forty-six all 167 butterfly species ever recorded in recognized bumble bee species. It in- that province — and the best places to cludes diagrams, range maps, and ex- find them. We hope both will be helpful tensive illustrated keys to distinguish to readers as they delight in the world’s color morphs and social castes. The ROM rich diversity of invertebrate life this Field Guide to Butterflies of Ontario details spring and summer!

British Studies Examine Pollinators in Agricultural Settings Two new British studies explore differ- rarer species will necessitate more spe- ent aspects of the interaction between cific and geographically focused man- pollinators and agricultural landscapes. agement. (http://bit.ly/1GzOqOk.) In the first, researchers at the Uni- A second study, from the Univer- versity of Sussex sought to determine sity of Plymouth, investigated the way the extent to which wildflower strips in- herbicides and fertilizers affected bee creased bee populations in farm fields. food sources. The researchers compared They compared pollinator populations bumble bee abundance at thirty sites in on farms that employ bee-friendly prac- southwestern England where hedgerows tices with those on control farms; the were adjacent to crop boundaries, find- former had a greater number of bumble ing that bumble bees were more than bees and contained bumble bee nests twice as likely to visit the road-facing at significantly greater densities. They sides of hedgerows as they were to visit concluded that increasing forage plant the crop-adjacent sides. The research- availability does greatly increase the size ers concluded that this demonstrated of wild bumble bee populations— but the chemicals’ effect on the crop-facing only for common species. Protecting sides. (http://bit.ly/1GKYBVt.)

Research in Britain has underscored the importance of hedgerows and flower strips for supporting bees in farmlands. Photograph by Michael Button/Flickr.

SPRING 2015 25 STAFF PROFILE

Jennifer Hopwood, Senior Pollinator Conservation Specialist What got you interested in insects? Like many kids, I loved being outdoors when I was young, chasing fireflies, watching butterflies on flowers, and turning over rocks to watch beetles scatter. It didn’t occur to me that I could turn my curi- osity and appreciation into a vocation until much later, after I took a college course on biodiversity from a professor who studied beetles. How did you hear of the Xerces Society? A mentor in graduate school loaned me a copy of Xerces’ Pollinator Conservation Handbook. I don’t think I read more than Which books are you currently reading? I’m a few pages before I visited the Xerces rereading two old favorites, Gerald Dur- website and figured out how to become rell’s My Family and Other Animals, and a member. I was so excited to learn that Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal. there was an organization out there that was protecting invertebrates. Who’s in your family? My husband, Tim, and our young son, Theo. What made you want to work here? I really­ admired the work that Xerces was doing What do you do for relaxation? I like to and I wanted to be a part of a group that read, hike, cross-country ski, garden, translates science into conservation ac- take canoe trips, play pick-up soccer, tions so effectively. and start— but rarely finish—knitting projects. My latest hobby is making up Who is (or was) your environmental hero? silly songs to entertain my son. I admire Rachel Carson for her passion for science and concern about health What’s your favorite place to visit? In the and the environment. I also have great United States it’s Sleeping Bear Dunes regard for Aldo Leopold, a beautiful and the Manitou Islands in Michigan. writer who turned his experiences and Outside of the United States, my favor- observations into a land ethic. ite so far is Stewart Island, New Zealand. Where did you study? I attended the Uni- What music do you have on your iPod? versity of Kansas in Lawrence, where I Some Gipsy Kings for dancing, Bach’s received a bachelor’s degree in ecology cello suites for quiet moments, Sonny and evolutionary biology and a master’s Rollins to brighten gray days, and degree in entomology. Emmy ­lou Harris for singing along.

26 WINGS XERCES NEWS

Collaboration is the Backbone of Xerces’ Monarch Effort Monarch butterflies are a North Ameri- High Level Working Group, Scott Hoff- can phenomenon, and conserving this man Black, Xerces’ executive director, iconic pollinator requires collaboration attended the XX Annual Meeting of at all levels. To that end, Xerces staff are the Trilateral — Canada, Mexico, U.S.— working strategically on monarch con- Committee for Wildlife and Ecosystem servation in multiple ways—through Conservation and Management. science, policy, outreach and education, Outreach and education: A central and management and restoration. component of Xerces’ work continues Science: Xerces is collaborating with to be outreach and education efforts scientists at universities and such fed- around some of the least known but eral agencies as the U.S. Geological Sur- most important animals on the planet. vey to develop ways to target protection Although monarch butterflies are well and restoration efforts where they will known and loved by millions, much have the greatest impact. We are also work remains to engage people in pro- conducting applied research to better active conservation efforts. We are al- understand how to manage and restore ways reaching out to gardeners, schools, monarch habitat. farmers, and land managers with infor- mation on ways that they can make a Policy: Protecting monarchs is an inter- difference for monarchs. national effort, and our work is engag- ing both the U.S. and Mexican govern- Management and restoration: In part- ments in monarch conservation. Last nership with the Natural Resources fall, at the invitation of the Mexican Conservation Service, the U.S. Forest government and the World Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Fund Mexico, Xerces gave a presentation Service, as well as multiple state agen- on monarchs in Valle de Bravo, Mexico, cies and nonprofits, Xerces is working at the Second International Sympo- to develop management strategies and sium for Research and Conservation of sources of milkweed seed (monarchs’ the Monarch Butterfly. As an ex officio essential host plant) in order to directly member of the U.S. Monarch Butterfly protect and restore monarch habitat.

Migratory Dragonfly Partnership Highlighted As the weather warms up, dragonflies too! The MDP’s Migration Monitoring are emerging and attracting the atten- Project was selected as one of Sci­Starter’s tion of observers across North Ameri- top five migration projects for citizen ca—and people are paying attention to scientists, and in March, Celeste Searles the Migratory Dragonfly Partnership, Mazzacano, director of Xerces’ aquatic

SPRING 2015 27 One of the species studied by the Migratory Dragonfly Partnership is the variegated meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum). Photograph by Celeste Searles Mazzacano. program, participated in the SciStarter record anything of note observed in a Twitter panel. The project also appeared migratory flight. The data thus collect- on the websites of Discover Magazine, the ed allow scientists to answer questions National Science Teachers Association, about different species’ migration pat- and the Public Library of Science. terns, routes, and behaviors. Hopefully, The Migration Monitoring Project the project’s increased exposure will en- engages citizen scientists to monitor gage even more people in this important the timing, duration, and direction of work. For more information, visit www. travel of migrating drag­onflies, and to migratorydragonflypartnership.org.

Xerces Advocacy Leads to Improved Pesticide Regulation Two years of advocacy culminated in a awareness in the stakeholder communi- success for our pesticide program this ty, and finally, when theODA proposed spring. In February, the Oregon Depart- the suggested rule change, we submitted ment of Agriculture finalized a rule pro- substantive comments in support. hibiting all uses of clothianidin, dinote- Xerces also worked to prevent the furan, imidacloprid, and thiamethox- aquatic use of neonicotinoids in Wash- am on Tilia (linden or basswood) trees. ington state. In 2014, Washington oyster This was prompted in part by seven growers applied for a permit to use the recent incidents of acute bumble bee highly toxic and long-lived chemical poisonings in Oregon following the use imidacloprid to control native shrimp of neonicotinoids on Tilia. As a member on shellfish beds in Willapa Bay and of the Oregon Task Force on Pollinator Grays Harbor. Over the following year, Health, Xerces recommended the rule Xerces brought together fifteen orga- change in June 2014. We then advocated nizations in an effort to reconsider al- for the change with the ODA and raised lowing the use of imidacloprid. Both

28 WINGS the National Marine Fisheries Service May 3, the Willapa–Grays Harbor Oyster and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Growers Association withdrew its appli- expressed concerns as well. Finally, on cation for imidacloprid use.

Expanding the Number of Pesticide-Free Cities and Parks In a local success for Xerces, on April 1 ensure successful implementation. This the City Council in Portland, Oregon, ban will protect bees as well as many unanimously passed an ordinance halt- other beneficial species that are essen- ing the purchase of neonicotinoids and tial to healthy farms and natural areas. similar systemic insecticides, and end- Xerces recently worked with five ad- ing their use on city property. The Xer­ ditional local governments to pass poli- ces Society and its partners worked with cies to halt the use of neonicotinoids, the City of Portland to develop the ordi- including the cities of Seattle, Washing- nance, and three staff members—Aimee ton, and Stillwater, Minnesota. Further, Code, our pesticide program coordina- we continue to support efforts to protect tor, and Sarina Jepsen and Rich Hatfield pollinators from pesticides on city parks of our endangered species program— and properties in nine other munici- provided testimony at the City Council palities, including Oakland, California; hearing on the issue. We look forward Boulder, Colorado; Minneapolis, Min- to continuing to work with the City to nesota; and Tucson, Arizona.

Xerces’ Aimee Code testifies at the Portland City Council’s hear- ing on neonicotinoids. Photograph by Margo Conner.

Tiger Beetles and Tickle Bees: Xerces on Television Two recent videos featuring members conservation. For many years, Xerces of our conservation staff helped to in- has worked to conserve the Siuslaw troduce new audiences to invertebrate hairy-necked tiger beetle, one of the

SPRING 2015 29 rarest beetles in the world. Public televi- dren’s love for their “tickle bee” popu- sion audiences got their first peek at this lation gained widespread notice. The important project when Sarina Jepsen, story of people and bees living happily director of Xerces’ endangered species together in an urban setting captured program, was featured on an episode people’s imaginations, bringing nation- of Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Oregon al attention to pollinator conservation. Field Guide. Those “tickle bees” are actually The television crew traveled to the stingless, ground-nesting mining bees, tiger beetle’s coastal sand dune habitat which live in large colonies and are on the banks of the New River in south- quite common, often taking up resi- west Oregon, filming Xerces conser- dence in lawns. Mace’s essay and a local vationists in action in the field while television station’s video of him talking also getting some great close-ups of the about the school and its bees was post- speedy, metallic-colored beetle. ed in blogs and picked up as far away Meanwhile, pollinator program as Florida. We’ve since heard that this co-director Mace Vaughan’s account of story is changing people’s perceptions a local elementary school and the chil- of their own mining bee populations.

An Updated Edition of Farming for Bees In February, Xerces proudly announced our agricultural pollinator conservation the release of the fourth edition of Farm­ program, and contains a wealth of in- ing for Bees. This guide is at the heart of formation about the common groups of native bees, their habitat requirements, and conservation strategies to increase their numbers on farms. Published in 2004, the first edition of Farming for Bees presented the find- ings of our earliest work in California’s Central Valley with Dr. Claire Kremen (now at UC Berkeley), and was a ground- breaking resource for farmers. The latest edition is almost double in length, with greatly expanded sections on a number of topics, including establishing polli- nator habitat and using flowering cover crops to support bees. It also includes more-extensive guidance on pesticide risk reduction, checklists of farm habi- tat features for bees, and new case stud- ies from around the country. The guide is available as a free download on the Xerces Society website

30 WINGS (www.xerces.org). We hope it will be a than two hundred thousand acres of valuable resource for years to come, al- pollinator habitat that we have helped lowing farmers to expand on the more to conserve so far.

Good News: With Your Help, We’re Growing! Thanks in large part to your support, pollinator conservation specialist for the Xer­ces Society has been able to add the Pacific Northwest. Our fifth new five new positions so far this year. These hire is Jillian Vento, who replaced Emily include Emilie Blevins, endangered Krafft as pollinator program administra- species conservation biologist; Thelma tor. We haven’t lost Emily, though; she Heidel-Baker, integrated pest manage- moved to fill a new position as grants ment specialist; Emilie May, pollina- and corporate giving associate. We are tor conservation specialist for Project sincerely thankful to you, our members, ICP (Integrated Crop Pollination); and for helping us to expand our capacity to ­Ashley Taylor, regional monarch and protect invertebrates and their habitats.

Thank You to Xerces Partners in the Business Community We are grateful to these business part- nationwide: Aveda, Cascadian Farm, ners for their significant support, as well Endangered Species Chocolate, General as for their activities to help raise conser- Mills, Häagen-Dazs, J.Crew, Madhava vation awareness among their custom- Natural Sweeteners, Maisie Jane’s Cali- ers, enabling us to influence the man- fornia Sunshine Products, and Whole agement of vast acreages of farmland Foods Market and its vendors.

WINGS, Spring 2015 Volume 38, Number 1 Wings is published twice a year by the Xerces Society, an international, non- profit or­ganization dedicated to protecting the diversity of life through the ­conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. A Xerces Society membership costs $35 per year (tax-deductible) and in­cludes a subscription to Wings. Copyright © 2015 by the Xerces Society. All rights reserved. Xerces Society Exec­utive Director: Scott Hoffman Black; Editors: Scott Hoffman Black, Margo Conner, John Laur­sen, and Matthew Shepherd; Design and ­Production: John Laursen. Printed on recycled paper. For information about membership and our conser­va­tion programs for native pollinators, endangered species, and aquatic invertebrates, c­ ontact us: THE XERCES SOCIETY FOR INVERTEBRATE CONSERVATION 628 Northeast Broadway, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97232 toll-free 855-232-6639 fax 503-233-6794 [email protected] www.xerces.org

SPRING 2015 31 A well-designed and carefully tended pollinator garden can bring a host of unanticipated delights, such as this unusual view of a black swallowtail caterpillar (Papilio polyxenes) chowing down on dill. Photograph by Dennis Krusac.

THE XERCES SOCIETY FOR INVERTEBRATE CONSERVATION 628 Northeast Broadway, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97232

Board of Directors Scientific Advisors David Frazee Johnson May R. Berenbaum Karen Oberhauser President Paul R. Ehrlich Paul A. Opler Linda Craig Wendell Gilgert Dennis Paulson Treasurer Boris Kondratieff Robert Michael Pyle Sacha Spector Claire Kremen Michael Samways Secretary John Losey Cheryl Schultz Logan Lauvray Thomas Lovejoy Robbin Thorp Marla Spivak Scott E. Miller Paul Williams Gary Paul Nabhan E. O. Wilson Piotr Naskrecki Rachael Winfree

A $35 per year Xerces Society membership includes a subscription to Wings.

On the cover: Female Fender’s blue (Plebejus [Icaricia] icarioides fenderi) on its caterpillar host plant, Kincaid’s lupine (Lupinus oreganus var. kincaidii). Neither occurs outside of Ore ­gon or Washington; both are protected by federal law. Photograph by Candace Fallon.