Essays on Invertebrate Conservation

WINGS ESSAYS ON INVERTEBRATE CONSERVATION

THE XERCES SOCIETY FALL 2017 CONTENTS

Conservation is sometimes seen as taking place in a distant wilderness or requiring a lot of time. In this issue of Wings we look at conservation in urban areas and how you can take action in your own neighborhood to make a difference.

Addressing Conservation in Urban Areas Scott Hoffman Black Page 3.

How Our Gardening Choices Affect the Health of Our Waterways Aimee Code “Think globally, act locally” has become a mantra for the environmental movement. This approach is particularly relevant when it comes to your garden, because how you care for it can have wider impacts. Page 5.

Bringing Conservation Home Justin Wheeler Whatever your particular skills, there are things you can do to work on invertebrate conservation in your own community. Page 11.

Life in the Suburbs Matthew Shepherd Despite the generally sterile reputation of suburban landscapes, they can be home to a diversity of wildlife. Being attentive to the planting of one’s yard can help to foster a surprisingly broad assortment of invertebrates. Page 15.

Conservation Spotlight Soleil Gaylord has been an advocate for conservation since grade school. Page 22.

Invertebrate Notes A roundup of new books and recent research. Page 23.

Staff Profile Meet Alex Charlap, the assistant to Xerces’ executive director. Page 25.

Xerces News Updates on Xerces Society projects and successes. Page 26.

2 WINGS Addressing Conservation in Urban Areas

Scott Hoffman Black

During my life I’ve had the good fortune Although the prospect of grappling to have worked on a broad range of con- with such problems can be daunting, servation issues— canvassing to stop a the best solutions often entail place- dam on Nebraska’s Niobrara River when based conservation efforts, focused on I was a teenager; seeking to limit the protecting landscapes and wildlife that impact of off-road vehicles on national hold particular significance for a region forests; participating in large landscape- or community. Inspiring and empower- scale conservation of old-growth forests ing individuals to take action in their in the Sierra Nevada; and working to own immediate community, perhaps protect and conserve habitat for many even just in their own backyards, can rare and declining species, including be the best way to effect lasting change, spotted owls, wolves, and a wide variety and we at the Xerces Society have long of invertebrates. held this as a goal.

Creek corridors, powerline easements, parks, wetlands—such areas as these can provide good habitat and should be part of the “green infrastructure” supporting wildlife in urban and suburban communities. Photograph by Matthew Shepherd.

FALL 2017 3 This issue of Wings is about making ity estimated that there are a few dozen such changes at the local level. Xerces bee species in the United States, a tiny staff members have provided three es- fraction of the thirty-six hundred spe- says that focus on urban and suburban cies that are actually here. Furthermore, areas: how actions in your own yard more than a quarter of the respondents have wider impacts; the many ways in who chose to take the survey could not which people can effect change either as tell a bee from a fly. You don’t need to individuals or by banding together with be an entomologist to help pollinators, their neighbors; and the natural history but there is clearly more that we can do of a suburban garden. We hope you will to offer people a better understanding find inspiration in these articles to help of the natural history of bees and but- you protect the small creatures in your terflies, and thus to make sure that they own community. have the knowledge to help them sup- I am also very excited to share with port these important animals. you the news that we are expanding our Urban and suburban areas are im- efforts to promote invertebrate conser- portant for invertebrate conservation. vation in towns and cities. The Xerces Research shows that urban greenspaces Society manages the largest invertebrate can provide valuable habitat for inver- conservation program in the world, and tebrates. Not only do studies suggest over the years we have worked exten- that more biodiversity is maintained in sively with farmers, ranchers, and the some developed areas than in farmed managers of public lands and wild areas. landscapes, but densely populated areas We’ve also worked with park managers can mean that there are many people and golf course superintendents to in- keen to do something to help. From corporate habitat into the urban land- parks and campuses with significant scapes in their domain, but, despite the acreage to small yards and gardens, obvious enthusiasm and demand, we providing flowers and nesting sites has haven’t had a focused program that al- been shown to increase both the diver- lows us to provide ongoing support to sity and the abundance of invertebrates urban and suburban communities. in built environments. In urban areas, The fate of bees has captured the with their many impervious surfaces, it attention of many people, and this con- is also important to limit pesticide use, cern has translated into tremendous because these chemicals find their way momentum to restore the health of pol- into local streams and harm aquatic life. linators and other beneficial insects. Across the country and around the But a recent study published online in world, people are increasingly troubled Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment by the loss of bees, butterflies, and other shows that the conservation communi- pollinating insects. The Xerces Society ty has more work to do. Joseph Wilson, is uniquely positioned to partner with Matthew Forister, and Olivia Messinger communities in creating urban and Carril undertook a survey to assess pub- suburban havens for dwindling inver- lic understanding of bees. While 99 per- tebrate populations. If we all work to- cent of respondents knew that bees are gether we can make the world a better ecologically important, the great major- place —wherever we live.

4 WINGS How Our Gardening Choices Affect the Health of Our Waterways

Aimee Code

“Why do you have so many animals in rants, intermixed with yarrow, lupine, your yard?” Curious who was speaking, poppies, asters, herbs, and other flowers I looked up from weeding to see a small planted to attract bees and butterflies. boy standing on the sidewalk watching With his mom’s okay, Sammy began bumble bees collect pollen from the Cal- to explore my “forest.” It was a delight ifornia poppies. I smiled and replied, “I to watch him crawl between daylilies created this garden for them.” He smiled seeking hidden strawberries, and chase back and said, “It looks like a forest.” For after a western tiger swallowtail (Papilio a person barely two feet tall, it would rutulus) that had been nectaring on the look like a forest. My yard has towering mock orange. Even the cabbage white mock orange and red flowering cur- butterfly (Pieris rapae) resting on a dan-

The peaceful seclusion of a back garden can be an oasis for both people and wildlife. Thoughtful design of flower borders helps to ensure that they provide an abundance of bloom to support a diversity of insects. Photograph by Aimee Code.

FALL 2017 5 delion inspired squeals of joy. Yet, it was rectly into Tugman Creek, which flows the dragonfly that most excited Sammy. into the Willamette River, which pro- His eyes grew almost as large as the drag- vides habitat for wild salmon and drink- onfly’s when I explained that it was a ing water for thousands of Oregonians. real live transformer, spending most of It ends up in the Columbia River, home its life in water before sprouting wings to still more native fish populations, on to take to the air. its way to the Pacific. Sammy’s enthusiasm for the drag- Similar to the way that your house’s onfly made me realize that my garden roof is designed to shed rain, our towns can illustrate the connections within and neighborhoods have been gradually urban areas, especially the movement of engineered so that stormwater is chan- stormwater, better than any PowerPoint neled and diverted to avoid flooding. presentation. The visiting dragonfly This efficient system of moving water acted as an emissary for our local stream away from buildings also provides a system, reminding me of how my deci- conduit for the chemicals used in and sions flow away from my garden and af- around our homes to move directly into fect the larger ecosystem in which I live. local streams, creeks, ponds, and riv- The runoff from my property goes di- ers. The U.S. Geological Survey’s most

Development adds acres of hard surfaces to a watershed. The runoff from rainstorms carries residues of garden chemicals—as well as roadway pollution—into creeks and wetlands, where they are harmful to aquatic life. Photograph by Matthew Shepherd.

6 WINGS How we garden has a direct influence on the health of the water bodies that dragonflies rely on for breeding. Striped meadowhawk Sympetrum( pallipes), photographed by Matthew Shepherd. recent national analysis of urban water ily into both surface and ground water. ways found that almost every single Most neonicotinoids are also persistent, sample of surface water contained at meaning that they continue to be toxic, least one pesticide and generally two and thus liable to contaminate water, for or more. When people water their gar- weeks to months after they are applied. dens or summer rainstorms hit, runoff Given the potential threat that neo- from yards carries pesticides into local nicotinoids pose to water, the Xerces streams, where they may harm aquatic Society performed a preliminary risk life and contaminate drinking-water assessment on imidacloprid, the oldest supplies. neonicotinoid and, until recent years, Pesticides, by definition, include the one most widely employed. Using insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, extensive water quality monitoring data rodenticides, and other “cides.” There from the California Department of Pes- are more than six hundred active in- ticide Regulation, we were able to com- gredients registered for use in pesticides pare the levels of imidacloprid detected in the United States, and more than in the state’s waters with the levels that twenty-five thousand different products cause harm to such species as caddisflies on the market. The chemicals in these and mayflies, which, along with insects products all have distinct characteris- such as stoneflies and dragonflies, are tics, that, in part, determine risk. For vital to healthy streams. These insects example, neonicotinoid insecticides— are predators of many species, includ- best known for the significant risks they ing mosquitoes and other pests, and pose to pollinators— are hydrophilic, are important as prey for fish and even or water loving, and thus move read- songbirds. Because their presence is di-

FALL 2017 7 The red-shouldered ctenucha (Ctenucha rubroscapus) is a day-flying moth found along the West Coast. Photograph by Matthew Shepherd. rectly tied to clean water, they are also highest level of imidacloprid detected very good indicators of water quality, in California was in urban stormwater, which is why they are used in research. where it was well above the concentra- Our assessment found that current tion that kills mayflies. contamination levels in California can While the widespread environ- harm and even outright kill these sen- mental assault by neonicotinoids must sitive invertebrates. The potential risks be addressed, limiting or even elimi- from this disruption to our aquatic sys- nating their use won’t solve the prob- tems include upsurges in pest species lems of pesticide contamination. His- such as mosquitoes when predators and tory shows that when one pesticide is competitors are killed; increased meth- removed from the market, people often ane production when microbes replace just use whatever new pesticide is of- invertebrate decomposers; and declines fered, and the unfortunate fact is that in songbirds and fish due to the loss of substituting one group of pesticides for their main food source. another invariably leads to a new set of It is often assumed that the worst environmental problems. Case in point: pesticide pollution comes from farm- before neonicotinoids were in wide use, land, but years of research by the U.S. pyrethroids were some of the most com- Geological Survey tells us that urban monly applied insecticides in urban and suburban pesticide application—in- environments. Unlike neonicotinoids, cluding use on lawns, flower beds, and pyrethroids are hydrophobic and do not street trees—is also a significant source readily dissolve in water. Instead, they of water contamination. In fact, the are more likely to bind to soil particles.

8 WINGS That characteristic doesn’t limit their about the risks of pesticides, another of movement into water, however; they my young neighbors—an eight-year-old simply move with soil particles suspend- budding entomologist—asked everyone ed in runoff. Even though pyrethroids on the block to stop using them, and to are generally short-lived, they can per- seek out garden plants that haven’t been sist in sediment where the sunlight treated with long-lived neonicotinoids. that helps break them down doesn’t Because of his simple request, the whole penetrate. Pyrethroid contamination block pledged to be pesticide-free. I am was so bad in California that the state thrilled by this neighborhood pact, completed a re-evaluation of their use which on a small scale helps protect that resulted in regulations restricting pollinators from being exposed to toxic whether and how seventeen different substances and reduces the amount of pyrethroids can be used in urban areas. pesticides making their way into our Neonicotinoids were presented as re- urban waterways. Plus, here in my yard, placements for many urban pyrethroid Sammy can crawl around and enjoy the uses; now these substituted chemicals are commonly found in California’s urban waters. Even herbicides, often considered benign and frequently used in urban gardens, can be problematic. For example, 2,4-D (a common ingredient in “weed and feed” products) and some glyphosate compounds (the active ingredient in many products, including Roundup) are toxic to early life stages of freshwater mussels. These shellfish provide valuable ecological services to humans because they filter water as they eat. Unfortunately, many fresh water mussel populations are in decline or have already been lost, in part due to the presence of chemicals in the waterways in which they live. While this may seem like a lot of bad news, understanding the risks that pesticides pose can help inform our de- cisions. In a home garden it can be rela- tively easy to avoid using them altogeth- er, or at least to consider using them only The tall stems of mock orange (Philadel- as a last resort. Moreover, understand- phus) might seem like a forest to a small ing the hazards can inspire us to share child, but to a passing swallowtail butter- this information to begin healing our fly they offer a refueling station. Photo- environment. For example, concerned graph by Aimee Code.

FALL 2017 9 Blanketflower Gaillardia( ) is a drought-tolerant perennial native to the United States and Canada. Its eye-catching, showy flowers are a magnet for bees, such as this leafcutter (Megachile). Photograph by Mace Vaughan. edible plants in the garden, without pertise in insect conservation, we are being exposed to harmful chemicals. also excited to create a speakers bureau, My neighborhood is not unique. which brings a train-the-trainers ele- Across the country people are pledg- ment to this work. This group of Xer ing to reduce their use of pesticides and ces Society ambassadors will grow the to increase habitat for pollinators and number of people able to provide train- other beneficial insects. At Xerces, we ings and share the marvels of the insect get many questions about how to make world with new audiences. communities more pollinator-friend- As Sammy left that afternoon, with ly, and now, thanks to several recent thyme and rosemary scrunched in his grants, we are newly able to expand our strawberry-stained hands, I imagined urban and suburban outreach efforts. him joining the Xerces speakers bureau This spring, Xerces’ program directors in a few years. With his infectious ener- came together to discuss how best to gy, he could easily transform a room full accomplish this. We are creating a set of individuals into an organized group of trainings to introduce people to the of bug enthusiasts. One boy’s sense of amazing diversity of native bees and wonder, inspired by a small urban gar- butterflies found around our homes, den, can go a long way toward saving share specific and simple ways to create the world. healthy habitat in both yards and parks, and highlight citizen-science opportu- nities such as Dragonfly Pond Watch Aimee Code, director of Xerces’ pesticide and Bumble Bee Watch. program, is an avid gardener. She finds Knowing that you, our members, great pleasure in sharing her garden with have a vast array of knowledge and ex- vertebrate and invertebrate communities.

10 WINGS Bringing Conservation Home

Justin Wheeler

If you are reading this, it is likely that letter to your local paper; talk to friends you are well-versed in the many chal- about buying organic produce. We have lenges facing invertebrates in the mod- long worked to provide the information, ern world. Habitat loss and degrada- tools, and resources necessary to em- tion, climate change, and the impacts power everyone to help make the world of widespread pesticide use are ever- a better place for invertebrates. present threats to the species we care In support of this mission we’ve re- about. In the face of such perils, it’s easy cently added a variety of new resources to become overwhelmed, and to feel a to the Xerces website, including offer- paralyzing sense of powerlessness. ing suggestions and inspiration on our We at the Xerces Society believe recently launched blog, Conservation that the antidote to this feeling is ac- Comes Home. Here are just a few of the tion. There are things in your direct con- ideas we’re exploring in the effort to in- trol that can make a difference, even if spire everyone to become invertebrate they seem small or inconsequential: conservationists in their backyards and add a few flowers to your yard; write a beyond.

Neighbors are an influential voice in shaping community attitudes. In the Sabin neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, gardeners join together to inspire others to create pollinator gardens. Photograph by the Xerces Society / Margo Conner.

FALL 2017 11 Speak up for those without a voice. sites such as Flickr, or contributing them With few exceptions, the small crea- to citizen-science projects. Photographs tures that we seek to protect lack the can be a meaningful way of making visibility of larger species. People can observations about a species as well as be more receptive, though, to protect- helping to raise the visibility of crea- ing invertebrates than may be obvious; tures that are otherwise largely unseen. often it’s the case that the thought just hasn’t occurred to them. Getting folks Act locally. It may seem that the issues thinking about animals they may never facing the animals we care about are so have noticed, combating myths and big they can be addressed only from the fears, and sharing your enthusiasm for top, through governmental policy and your favorite invertebrates are all valu- by the actions of politicians, conserva- able ways to build awareness. Building tion groups, and scientists. But change that awareness may not seem as power- often happens from the ground up, as ful as creating habitat or passing laws, new practices, first introduced on a local but it’s a critical first step toward those level, become national trends. Local ac- outcomes, and for gaining support from tion has the added benefit of building your community when it comes time to support among neighbors and com- take concrete action. munity members, whereas legislation, On our blog we’ve offered several mandated from on high, often meets thoughts about how to build awareness. with resistance and skepticism. These Are you an extrovert who loves engaging days “act locally” might feel as though it with people? Talk to friends, neighbors, has become a cliché, but for insects and and community groups and become an other invertebrates—tiny animals that advocate for invertebrates. Even small can thrive in small spaces—local action cities typically host at least one farmers can make a direct impact. market, where you can engage with food For individuals or community producers and ask what they are doing groups, working with local governments to protect pollinators on their lands. and officials is typically more accessible Consider hosting the screening of a and effective than trying to influence documentary at your local garden club, policy at the state or federal level. Across school, or library, and include a Q & A the country dozens of cities have passed session afterward. You may even earn a policies to stop the use of pesticides that new nickname as “the butterfly lady” or are toxic to bees. In many cases these “the bee guy” in the process! policies were introduced by citizens, For those who are more comfortable and serve as models for other communi- with quieter endeavors, write a letter to ties to demonstrate that common-sense the editor of your local paper extolling pesticide policy can be implemented in the virtues of gardening for pollinators municipalities of all sizes. Your efforts or warning against the use of pesticides might begin with a letter-writing cam- in the home landscape. Are you an avid paign to your county or state roadside nature photographer? Consider shar- management agency asking them to ing your photographs on social media adopt mowing and management prac- through Facebook or photo-sharing tices that protect pollinators. Roadsides

12 WINGS A volunteer planting event is a tried-and-true conservation activity that draws together people of all ages, creates connections between community members, and has a direct impact for wildlife. Photograph by Katie Hetrick / UC Davis Arboretum. have the potential to support a diversity Get your hands dirty. Of course, there of wildlife, provide milkweed critical to are many hands-on ways in which you monarch populations, and support na- can improve the environment around tive insects of all kinds. you to make it a better place for inverte- Through such grassroots efforts it brates. Perhaps it’s time to extend your is possible to change local policies to garden out to the sidewalk strip where support pollinators while also reduc- it will be visible to neighbors and en- ing operational costs, which many courage them to do the same, or to work cash-strapped communities and fiscally with your city or local businesses to in- conservative elected officials can get corporate pollinator-friendly selections behind. In order to assist you in urg- into their plantings. Through our Bring ing your city to adopt practices to pro- Back the Pollinators campaign, we protect pollinators we’ve prepared a model vide information that will enable you to policy, available on our website, to serve plant a pollinator garden wherever you as a framework for developing mean- may live. ingful protections in your community. Other ways that you can improve Our “Model Policy to Protect Pollinators habitat beyond your backyard include from Harmful Pesticide Exposures” is volunteering with your local water- research-based and addresses key issues. shed council or water authority to plant

FALL 2017 13 By partnering with organizations such as Xerces, community groups and local agencies can present workshops to build knowledge of conservation issues and solutions. Photograph by the Xerces Society / Matthew Shepherd. streamside vegetation and remove in- the purpose of observing fireflies, lady- vasive plants to benefit aquatic inverte- bugs, moths, and more. Seek them out— brates. A similar effort on behalf of pol- they’re a great way to connect with na- linators might be working with a local ture in a mindful way and excellent for adopt-a-road initiative to go beyond getting kids interested in invertebrates. picking up litter to planting milkweed and pollinator-friendly plants and re- Don’t lose heart. At Xerces, our ap- moving invasive weeds along roadsides. proach remains the same, rooted in the If you’re out and about with your values that have successfully guided us camera, you can become a bumble bee for forty-six years. While we will con- watcher and contribute to Bumble Bee tinue to work at every level to effect Watch (bumblebeewatch.org). Obser- change, it will take all of us to protect vations added to Bumble Bee Watch invertebrates and their habitat. We hope helped to get the rusty patched bumble to continue to inform and inspire you in bee listed as endangered. If you’re in the your own conservation efforts. western United States, you can partici- pate in our Western Monarch Milkweed Mapper project (monarchmilkweed Justin Wheeler works as the website and mapper.org), which aims to document communications administrator at the Xer monarchs and their breeding habitat. ces Society. He is a certified Master Gar There are also citizen-science efforts dener in Pennsylvania and volunteers at managed by other organizations for the Snetsinger Butterfly Garden.

14 WINGS Life in the Suburbs

Matthew Shepherd

With their manicured lawns and neat yard, located on a fifty-by-hundred-foot houses, the suburbs may not seem like lot, a typical size for the suburbs that welcoming places for wild creatures. have spread westward from Portland, Given a chance, though, wildlife will Oregon, across Washington County in find a way to coexist with people. Sub- recent decades. urbs are often less densely developed When we moved in, the yard was than older urban centers, and such largely grass. At the front of the house neighborhoods can be home to a sur- there were a handful of azaleas and bar- prising diversity of life thanks to stream berry shrubs in bark chips, along with corridors, parks, and even yards and gar- two oddly placed arborvitae trees, one dens. This is the story of one suburban blocking a window, the other obscuring

Gardens are an important component of the network of wildlife habitat in suburban areas. The author’s garden is home to a host of pollinators and other insects. Photograph by Matthew Shepherd.

FALL 2017 15 the front steps. Elsewhere, grass strug- varieties that can cope with both wet gled to grow in the shadow of trees or winters and dry summers with minimal of the house, and in places didn’t grow attention, and that offer bloom from at all, with the dirt turning to muck in late winter to late fall. the fall rains. Over time, we’ve gradually Connecting the front garden to the created a garden, and in doing so have back along the north side of the house is discovered a diversity of wildlife with a narrow, shady, damp side yard. For the which we share our residence. longest time this was a sheltered spot to Our house sits in the middle of the store plants waiting for their permanent lot, separating it into four distinct sec- home, and it was also where we dumped tions. The front garden faces east; most- things: the sod removed from the front ly open and sunny, it’s the best area of and back, construction materials for our yard for flowers. We’ve gradually paths, sacks of compost. This passage- reduced the amount of grass, replacing way has been tidied up in the last cou- it with perennials and shrubs— aster, ple of years and is now lush with ferns coneflower, milkweed, goldenrod, Cali- (sword, deer, maidenhair), hellebores, fornia fuschia, blanketflower, phlox, bleeding hearts, and snowberries. coreopsis, lavender, Oregon grape, wild The back garden is very different indigo —a mixture of native and garden from the front, tucked under the edge of an acre of Douglas-fir forest. This patch of forest is zoned as neighborhood open space, so is protected from development, and is a remarkable survivor in a region that continues to experience the rapid growth of both housing and business developments. The trees provide the rear of the house with a sense of seclusion. In the heat of summer, the pitchy smell during the day and the rhythmic chirping of tree crickets at night gives it the feel of a wilder place, beyond the suburbs. Despite those delights, the forest makes this a tough place to establish plants. Its trees compete for light and moisture in different measures along the back of our small area, part of which is sunny for a few hours, the rest in deep shade. We’ve tried forest plants that found it too sunny and dry, and we’ve tried sun-loving plants that found it too The European praying mantid (Mantis re- ligiosa), often released for pest control, has shaded. Through trial and error, we’ve become widespread in North America. arrived at a selection of plants that can Photograph by Matthew Shepherd. cope with these conditions, and this

16 WINGS Establishing a plant community in the forest shade took several years, but this part of the yard is now an attractive place for both insects and people. Photograph by Matthew Shepherd. area, like the front garden, now has a The fourth section of our garden is mix of native and garden species. Sword the southern margin, isolated from the ferns, some self-sown, some planted, rest of the front garden by the driveway lend structure. Color and texture are and extending from the sidewalk to the provided by false Solomon’s seal, win- side of the house, where we keep recy- tergreen, yellow wood violet, foam cling carts. This strip, in the shelter of flower, trillium, spiderwort, wild gera- a maple tree and shaded by our neigh- nium, tiger lily, lungwort, lady’s man- bor’s arborvitae hedge, seldom sees di- tle, lupine, aster, red flowering currant, rect sunshine. During the fall, leaves and Nootka rose. We’ve also got some from the maple are raked to the base of plants that many people might consider the hedge and left to decay. That pile is weeds— Siberian miner’s lettuce, wood its own little world, a home to the pill- avens, woodrush, soft rush—forest na- bugs and millipedes that you’d expect, tives that began growing once we re- as well as to slugs and snails. As is typi- moved the grass. cal of disturbed areas, the majority of

FALL 2017 17 This dark-bodied glass snail (Oxychilus draparnaudi) was an unexpected find in this Oregon garden. Unlike most other species, it is carnivorous. Photograph by Matthew Shepherd. the gastropods in our garden are non- through the year include mining bees native; most common are the European (Andrena) alongside the early bumble red slug (Arion rufus), a rather handsome bees, and mason bees (Osmia) that show brown-and-orange beast, and the great up when the pears and apples blossom. grey slug (Limax maximus). The leaf Later in spring, sweat bees in the genera pile, though, is also where we encoun- Halictus and Lasioglossum arrive, and tered dark-bodied glass snails (Oxychilus in June long-horned bees (Melissodes) draparnaudi), another nonnative spe- appear as the black-eyed Susans come cies. The glass snails are carnivorous, into flower. mainly preying on other invertebrates, Of the more than two dozen species although on this occasion a trio of snails of bees we’ve seen, only two of them were feeding on a dead mouse. are nonnative, the European honey bee The first bee we see in our garden (Apis mellifera) and the European wool each year has typically been a black- carder bee (Anthidium manicatum). The tail bumble bee, though sometimes wool carder has a close association with a yellow-faced bumble bee will show one plant, lamb’s ears (Stachys byzan itself earlier. Whichever, these nor- tina), a patch of which grows near our mally appear between the fifteenth front steps. The females nectar on the and twentieth of February, although in flowers and collect the downy hairs warm winters they have been seen in from the leaves to form their nest cells. January. They forage on the flowers of The males patrol the lamb’s ears, and Oregon grape and lungwort, which fill chase away any potential competitors the gap until French lavender begins to for the females. These males will even bloom in April. We now have six spe- confront people; they have no stinger, cies of bumble bees (Bombus) recorded so pose no threat, though if you don’t for our garden—those two plus black- know this it can be unnerving to have faced, fuzzy-horned, yellow-headed, a seemingly aggressive bee hovering in and brown-belted. Other bees we find front of your face!

18 WINGS The garden has places without per frenetically across the dirt, flicking plants, but this bare ground is not bar- their blue-tinted wings as they hunt ren. Mining bees excavate nests in the for spiders to feed the offspring in their plant-free areas. We’ve also watched No ground nests. Other wasps in the garden mada cuckoo bees flying to and fro a few include black-and-yellow mud daubers inches above the soil in search of min- (Sceliphron caementarium), whose nests ing bee nests in which to lay their eggs. look like fist-sized lumps of dirt on a There is a similar pairing of Halictus wall, and paper wasps (mostly the Eu- sweat bees nesting in the ground, and ropean species Polistes dominula), which Sphecodes cuckoo bees locating those make small nests dangling from the nests for their own egg laying. Higher house’s eaves like upside-down mush- up, mason bees and leafcutters (Mega rooms. Evidence of Polistes nest building chile) occupy bee blocks and other nest is usually more obvious than the wasps structures that we’ve made, and small themselves. The wasps gather wood carpenter bees (Ceratina) have nested fibers from snags or their functional in stems of black-eyed Susan left during equivalent in the garden landscape— through the winter. fences, gates, deck rails—leaving tiny The bare ground has also hosted sol- scrape marks an eighth of an inch wide itary wasps in the genus Astata, which and an inch or so long. After chewing stock their nests with stink bugs; and those fibers into pulp they use it to form spider wasps (family Pompilidae) scam- cells with paper-like walls.

Long-horned bees (Melissodes) are ground-nesting. The bees that forage on asters and other flowers in the front garden nest in exposed soil along ditches in a nearby creek corridor. Photograph by Matthew Shepherd.

FALL 2017 19 Western Oregon is not known as a identity is confirmed it could be a new butterfly hotspot, and this is reflected in county record. the paucity of species in our yard. So far, We haven’t done away with the we have seen only six—as many as we grass entirely. Some of the front lawn have species of bumble bees—western remains as a place for kids to play, for tiger swallowtail, painted lady, wood- adults to drink coffee in the morning land skipper, satyr anglewing, grey hair- sun, or for both young and old to sit and streak, and the inevitable cabbage white. watch insects with field guide in hand. We’ve identified many more moths, The lawn has diversified, benign neglect and there are certainly a significant allowing violets, selfheal, and clovers number of species that could be added to spread, one more resource for bees. to our garden list; my mothing skills are The lawn also provides forage for grass not great. But because moths are gener- hoppers—red-legged (Melanoplus femur ally an understudied group, even with rubrum) in the early summer, and later, modest ability there is the chance of sig- when the grass is strawlike, road-dusters nificant discoveries. Recently, I found (Dissosteira carolina), looking like butter- a species of plume moth by the porch flies as they flit around before abruptly light that I’d not seen before. It’s likely disappearing into the brownness. either a geranium plume moth (Amblyp We have seen a reasonable number tilia pica) or an artichoke plume moth of species in our yard (I admit that I’m (Platyptilia carduidactyla). This sighting geeky enough to keep lists!) but we are has been submitted to Butterflies and well aware that the richness of insect Moths of North America, and when its life, birds, and mammals is only partly

Although urban and suburban areas are greatly removed from their natural state, wild creatures such as this woodland skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides) find areas that provide the conditions they need. Photo- graph by Matthew Shepherd.

20 WINGS Encouraging wildlife into your garden creates the opportunity for memorable encounters. Photograph by Matthew Shepherd. because of our efforts. Everything links wetlands where dragonflies such as with something else over space and the common green darner and striped time. The acre of Douglas-fir across the meadowhawk that hunt over our flowers back fence, in addition to sheltering us develop as aquatic nymphs. Ditch sides from winter storms, offers host plants provide nesting sites for the long-horned for the caterpillars that become the bees that forage in our yard. The mining swallowtails that nectar on our tiger bees that nest in our bare patches forage lilies, as well as habitat for some insects on the bloom of the creekside willows. that we’ve found on our side of the fence In your own neighborhood, you and that may not be expected in a typi- probably have similar gaps that support cal suburban yard, such as golden jewel wildlife in the midst of development. beetles (Buprestis aurulenta), snail-hunt- Even if those less cultivated areas are ing Scaphinotus beetles (whose heads not immediately over your back fence, and thoraxes are distinctively narrow to you can create the conditions in your enable them to reach inside snail shells), garden that will draw wild creatures in and night-stalking tiger beetles (Omus). and allow you the opportunity for close- The bigleaf maples in the forest support up encounters with beautiful—and pos- the life cycle of the western boxelder sibly unexpected—animals. bugs (Leptocoris rubrolineatus) that clus- ter on the house to warm themselves on sunny winter days. Matthew Shepherd, a nature watcher and A few houses away is a stream cor- a gardener, is the Xerces Society’s commu ridor. There beavers create ponds and nications director.

FALL 2017 21 CONSERVATION SPOTLIGHT

Soleil Gaylord, Youth Leader for Pollinator Conservation In the spring of 2016, Xerces’ execu- Soleil has given several talks of her own tive director Scott Black gave a talk at and was also asked to help with a sec- the town library in Telluride, Colora- ond habitat project, a Pollinator Garden do. Afterwards he was approached by created by San Miguel County’s Open a high-school student, who wanted to Space Program. She has been supplying know more about Xerces’ work in pol- milkweed starts and penstemon seed- linator conservation. This was our first lings as well as inspiration. encounter with Soleil Gaylord, but as we This summer, Soleil came up with discovered, she was a remarkable young the idea for SNAP—the Student (her) woman who was already doing much to Nonprofit (the Xerces Society) Art Proj- help pollinators. ect— an exhibition of photographs to Soleil’s efforts began with an inter- promote the importance of pollinator est in wildflowers. Since second grade gardens. The show was quite a success, she’s been collecting seeds and planting raising $700 for the Xerces Society and them— even launching her own busi- stimulating great conversations—and ness, Soleil’s Seeds, while still in grade also making the cover of the regional school. In 2014, wanting to do more, she paper, the Telluride Daily Planet. approached the Telluride Open Space Commission with a plan for a habitat project on the edge of town, which the commission approved. The project has involved planting native grasses and flowers, all germinated and grown in Soleil’s own starter greenhouse. By the time Scott Black was in Tel- luride, the plot was well established and Soleil found herself wanting to learn about the bees and other insects that were attracted to the plants and what more she could do. She invited Scott to visit her project, which he did the next day. Since then, Soleil has been using photographs to catalogue insect flower visitors, and has been reporting bumble bee sightings to Bumble Bee Watch. The revegetation plot has been the catalyst for a growing interest in pollinator conservation in the Telluride area. Photograph by Ramona Gaylord.

22 WINGS INVERTEBRATE NOTES

Native vs. Nonnative Plants in Pollinator Gardens It seems these days that questions about pled in each plot and a number of vari- butterfly and pollinator gardens have ables were measured for the plants, in- moved on from “why?” to “what shall cluding vegetation density and canopy we plant?”—with the conversation often cover. turning to whether or not it is better to Overall, the abundance of inverte- plant native species than nonnative brates was higher on the plots with na- ones. Led by Andrew Salisbury of the tive plants, and increased with canopy Royal Horticultural Society, a team of cover in all three plot categories, al- researchers in Britain undertook a four- though neither was consistently true for year study to try to provide an answer. all species. Invertebrates such as spiders, Their work was published in May in the which are less specifically reliant on par- journal Biodiversity Conservation. ticular plants, were equally abundant The research was done using a series across the plots irrespective of plant of study plots, each three meters square, origin, while all herbivores were more the typical size of a flower border in a abundant on plots of native plants. United Kingdom garden. The plots were The authors conclude: “We there- planted with a collection of species that fore advise gardeners and managers of were categorized as “native” (naturally cultivated green spaces who wish to occurring in the British Isles), “near na- provide maximum resources for inver- tive” (from the Northern Hemisphere), tebrate abundance to select plantings or “exotic” (from the Southern Hemi- biased towards native and near-native sphere). Over the course of the study, plants, managed to provide dense veg- above-ground invertebrates were sam- etation cover.”

Are Pesticides Adequately Regulated? A thought-provoking article published treatment of first resort, and are vulner- in Science highlighted the weakness of able to the development of resistance. current pesticide regulation, which the The regulation of antibiotics, however, authors say does not address the impacts is different from that of pesticides. Al- of pesticides used at industrial scales. though both must undergo testing for Alice Milner of the University of effectiveness, safety, and side effects, an- London and Ian Boyd of the Universi- tibiotics also have ongoing safety moni- ty of St. Andrews compare the use and toring, and their regulation is guided by regulation of pesticides with those of the international oversight of the World pharmaceuticals, particularly antibiot- Health Organization. In contrast, other ics. Both pesticides and antibiotics are in than monitoring residue levels in food, wide use, are used prophylactically as a regulation of pesticides ends after they

FALL 2017 23 reach the market, and there are no inter- tion on potential hazards, but it is often nationally accepted standards. not clear what should be measured and Although some countries gather reported, and the reporting require- such data about pesticide use as the ment is not effectively enforced. amount sold and the land area or crops Milner and Boyd argue that current treated, there is no framework for assess- regulation is inadequate for assessing ing the impacts of large-scale pesticide safe pesticide limits, allowing the total use in the environment. The European environmental dose to be “governed by Union and the United States require market demand rather than by a limit manufacturers to report new informa- on what the environment can endure.”

Book Review Watching butterflies and moths as a tween nighttime driving now and child first piqued Michael McCarthy’s childhood memories of moths filling interest in wildlife, leading to an abid- the headlight beams “like snowflakes in ing affinity with the natural world. As a blizzard.” an environmental writer, McCarthy In The Moth Snowstorm: Nature and has witnessed and catalogued a steady Joy (New York Review Books, 2015), Mc- decline in the abundance of wild crea- Carthy shares his experiences and re- tures, epitomized by the contrast be- flects on how his profound, almost spir- itual relationship with nature helped him through periods of personal loss. The book also provides a survey of the ways our environment has changed in the last half century: enclosure and development of coastal wetlands, loss of hedgerows and woodlands, ever- greater use of pesticides. In that respect it seems like many other books; what makes this volume stand out, though, is that McCarthy writes with a beauty and lyricism that draws you to his side as he explores places that he so clearly loves, leading to an impassioned plea for trans- formation that would allow us once again to experience moth blizzards. The subtitle spells out what it is that motivates him to want to save our planet—a love of nature and the joy it brings—which some may dismiss as naïve in an era of data and dollars and ecosystem services. But in the end, isn’t it a love for nature that inspires us all?

24 WINGS STAFF PROFILE

Alex Charlap, Assistant to the Director / Office Manager What got you interested in invertebrates? Although I have felt a deep connection to growing things since childhood, it was when I started working at Descanso Gardens and later Rancho Santa Ana Bo- tanic Garden (both in the Los Angeles area) that I truly discovered the critical importance of insects to the plant world. How did you hear of the Xerces Society? I saw an ad for my position on a nonprofit job board. I knew that I wanted to move to Oregon, and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to submit my résumé. I was just delighted to be offered the position; three weeks later I was living in Portland and working at Xerces. The past four years have been an amazing experience! without speaking to anyone for fifty What’s the best thing about your job? days. The result is this meditative book What I enjoy most is being able to work about spending time alone, writing, and with staff across the organization as coming to terms with mortality. well as with our board of directors and What do you do to relax? My relaxation our external partners. It is an honor tools are my morning meditation and to join forces with so many incredible journaling, disciplines that I have kept people passionately committed to the up for nearly two decades. I’m a self- conservation of invertebrates. taught mixed-media artist and also love Who’s in your family? I have three grown to paint. I can’t imagine life without children. My son Ryan lives in San these practices. Francisco and my son Brandon and What music do you have on your iPod? I daughter Amanda both live here in have an eclectic collection but my favor- Portland. My granddaughter, Aurora, ite genre is disco music from the 1980s. I just turned nine. The four of them are had a lot of fun in my twenties dancing my greatest joy! in New York City nightclubs and love to What book are you currently reading? dance and sing out loud, even if I don’t Doris Brumbach’s Fifty Days of Solitude. really know the lyrics to a song. My kids At the age of seventy-four she decided use to tease me about this; now they just to live in her coastal home in Maine sing along and smile.

FALL 2017 25 XERCES NEWS

Bee Better Certified: Creating Better Places for Bees Collaborating with farmers to protect to flower-rich habitat that provides pol- and restore high-quality habitat for pollen, nectar, and nesting sites. In addi- linators is a core feature of the Xerces tion, pesticide exposure is mitigated Society’s work. In June, as part of our through a combination of preventive conservation efforts for agricultural pol- pest-management techniques and the linators, we launched a new farm and elimination of high-risk pesticides. food certification program, Bee Better Bee Better Certified’s focus on habi- CertifiedTM—the first third-party certi- tat is unique among farm certification fication program in the world focused programs, and is compatible with any specifically on pollinator conservation. kind of operation. The program can as- The goal of Bee Better Certified is sist organic growers in meeting the bio- to give bees a healthy place to live. At its diversity guidelines of the National Or- heart is a set of science-based standards ganic Program, but its standards can be that establish a high bar for habitat res- adopted by any and all types of growers, toration and pesticide risk reduction. helping conventional farmers also move To be certified, growers are required to toward more-sustainable practices. dedicate at least 5 percent of their land Bee Better Certified has been a long

Providing safe habitat for bees is the goal of Bee Better Certified, a food and farming certification program launched by Xerces in collabora- tion with Oregon Tilth. Photograph by Sarah Foltz Jordan.

26 WINGS Widow skimmer (Libellula luctuosa), photographed by Bryan E. Reynolds.

Protect the Life that Sustains Us with a Monthly Gift Invertebrates are an essential part of all ecosystems, contributing to the survival of wildlife, the pollination of crops, and the health of our en vironment. Please consider making a monthly gift today to support the advocacy, applied research, outreach, and education needed to protect these vital creatures. Monthly donations deliver a reliable and predictable source of funding to our programs, which allows Xerces to best plan for the future and implement thoughtful and strategic action to protect the life that sustains us. You can start your monthly gift today at xerces.org/donate.

time in development and we’ve entered Grant program run by the U.S. Depart- into the program with the support of ment of Agriculture’s Natural Resources many fantastic farmers and progressive Conservation Service. We are partner- food industry advisors. To help guide us, ing with Oregon Tilth, one of the larg- we recruited an advisory board compris- est organic certifiers in the United States ing experts in the fields of agriculture, and now the first accredited certifica- certification, pesticide risk mitigation, tion body for Bee Better Certified. pollinator research, retail marketing, Learn more about Bee Better Certi- and sustainable sourcing. Bee Bet- fied and join the movement to provide ter Certified received startup funding pollinators with a healthy, sustainable through the Conservation Innovation environment at beebettercertified.org.

FALL 2017 27 Encomium for Larry Orsak, Third President of the Xerces Society On July 6, 2017, at the age of sixty-four, Dr. Larry Joe Orsak died of a heart at- tack at the University of Technology, Lae, Papua New Guinea, where he was an associate professor and the head of the Department of Forestry. These bare facts only hint at the remarkable quali- ties of this scientist, entomologist, con- servationist, social reformer, and lover of people and other species, who had an enormous impact upon the early development of the Xerces Society. Larry grew up an avid naturalist in southern California, publishing The Butterflies of Orange County in 1977, at the age of twenty-four. With similar gusto he pitched in to early Xerces cam- paigns, notably for San Bruno Moun- tain, south of San Francisco, and for the New Guinea, that first gave him the El Segundo blue butterfly. This led to his PNG bug. After visiting himself in 1985, being recruited—while still a graduate he returned for research, to lead Earth- student in entomology at the University watch institutes based on the diversity of California, Berkeley, where he would of rainforest moths, and finally for the receive his doctorate in 1988 —to serve duration of his adventurous career. as president of the Society. Larry strenuously fought corrup- Hallmarks of the Orsak presidency tion, thereby gaining some enemies (1977–1979) included engagement in and many more friends and followers. a growing number of conservation is- He saved land, wildlife, and livelihoods, sues, primarily in California (such as and did all this while educating cadres Lange’s metalmark, for which Larry of indigenous conservation profession- had a beautiful postcard published); ini- als. Following a bountiful outpouring tiation of the Society’s self-help sheets, of traditional ceremony and tearful species profiles, and other publications remembrance, the much-loved “Dr. for members, many of them written by Larry” was laid to rest in his adopted vil- him; and the expansion of our remit lage of Baitabag, near Madang. A beau- from Lepidoptera to terrestrial arthro- tiful shrine has been built in his honor, pods, setting the stage for ultimately and a library and museum are planned. championing all invertebrates. Much more can be read about Larry, Larry hosted the 1978 annual meet- along with many colorful pictures and ing of Xerces in Berkeley. I like to think it personal stories of ceremony and life, at was my presentation there, on my work https://lifeworklarry.wordpress.com. for the Wildlife Department of Papua —Robert Michael Pyle

28 WINGS Declines in Freshwater Mussels Confirmed by New Research Freshwater mussels play a critical role fewer species are now found in an addi- in maintaining the health of freshwater tional 35 percent of watersheds. ecosystems, filtering water and keeping The scientists also assessed the it clean and clear for salmon and other health of individual species, using the aquatic wildlife. Despite their impor- criteria of the IUCN Red List. The west- tance, they are often overlooked in con- ern ridged mussel and winged floater are servation plans, in part because infor- “vulnerable” to extinction; they have mation on their distribution and status disappeared from more than 30 percent has been difficult to access. Beginning of their range. The western pearlshell is nearly a decade ago, the Xerces Society “near threatened,” having disappeared has joined with the Mussel Project of from more than 15 percent of its range the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla and suffered large declines in abun- Indian Reservation to change this situa- dance elsewhere. The Oregon floater tion for the species that occur in western and western floater appear to be faring North America. better, and are together classified as of Researchers have compiled a com- “least concern.” prehensive database of mussel records from research and museum collections, historical publications, and public agency and personal records dating as far back as 1834. More than 160 people and nearly a hundred institutions generous- ly provided their observations or collection information to the Western Fresh- water Mussel Database. Members of the Pacific Northwest Native Freshwater Mussel Workgroup have contributed thousands of records to the database, often revisiting mussel populations re- peatedly over many years to document their observations. The database has allowed scientists to understand for the first time the true picture of mussel distribution in the western region. The results were published in October in the journal Freshwater Mollusk Biology and Conser vation. What the researchers found was Freshwater mussels are at risk in western North America. The western pearlshell not good news: freshwater mussels are (Margaritifera falcata) has disappeared being lost from Mexico to Alaska. They from 15 percent of the watersheds in have disappeared from 18 percent of the which it previously occurred. Photograph watersheds they once inhabited, and by Roger Tabor / USFWS.

FALL 2017 29 Overwintering sites in California are essential for the long-term survival of the western monarch population. Photograph by the Xerces Society / Candace Fallon.

Western Monarchs at Greater Risk of Extinction Many scientists and policy makers, as California. Today there are barely three well as the general public, have been hundred thousand. This is a significant- focused on the dramatic declines in ly more dramatic decline than was pre- monarch butterflies in eastern North viously known, and the authors predict America, but a new study reveals that that migratory monarchs in the West western monarchs face a greater risk of could disappear in the next few decades extinction than do eastern monarchs. if steps aren’t taken soon to recover the Xerces Society scientists joined with population. university researchers Cheryl Schultz The researchers combined data (Washington State University, Vancou- from hundreds of volunteers who have ver), Elizabeth Crone (Tufts University), participated in the Xerces Society’s and Leone Brown (University of Geor- Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count gia, Athens) to conduct an assessment since 1997 with earlier monarch counts of the status of the monarch population conducted by amateur and professional in western North America. butterfly enthusiasts in the 1980s and The results of the study, published early 1990s. in the journal Biological Conservation The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in September, showed that the number which funded the study, is currently of monarchs has fallen by 95 percent considering whether to list the monarch since the 1980s. Previously, ten million butterfly as a threatened species under monarchs spent the winter in coastal the Endangered Species Act.

30 WINGS New Guidelines for Protecting California’s Butterfly Groves Scattered along the California coast our website, www.xerces.org. are groves of eucalyptus, cypress, and The guidelines provide an overview pine, in which hundreds of thousands of the biology and conservation of west- of monarch butterflies from across western monarchs; step-by-step guidance for ern North America shelter during the developing a site-specific management winter. Some groves are senescing as plan; and overall guidance on such top- drought and age take their toll, and in ics as tree management, shrub and forb others changing conditions make the management, and issues of public ac- butterflies susceptible to storms and dis- cess. The document also includes a list turbance. Protection and management of monarch-attractive native nectar of these sites is essential if we hope to re- plants suitable for coastal areas. cover the western monarch population. This project benefited from the re- The Xerces Society, in collabora- view and input of many knowledgeable tion with Stu Weiss of Creekside Center biologists, including Mia Monroe (who for Earth Observation, has developed initiated the Western Monarch Thanks- guidelines to managing overwintering giving Count and still works with the sites for land managers, landowners, Xerces Society to coordinate the annual and community groups. Protecting Cali event), Francis Villablanca (a professor at fornia’s Butterfly Groves: Management Cal Poly and director of Monarch Alert), Guidelines for Monarch Butterfly Overwin and Dan Meade (who has studied over- tering Habitat can be downloaded from wintering monarchs for decades).

WINGS, Fall 2017 Volume 40, Number 2 Wings is published twice a year by the Xerces Society, an international, nonprofit 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; the magazine can also be downloaded from our website as a PDF. Copyright © 2017 by the Xerces Society. All rights reserved. Xerces Society Executive Director: Scott Hoffman Black. Editors: Scott Hoffman Black, John Laursen, and Matthew Shepherd. Design and Production : John Laursen. Printed on recycled paper. For information about membership and to learn about our conservation programs for native pollinators, endangered species, and aquatic invertebrates, as well as our efforts to reduce the impacts of pesticides, contact us: THE XERCES SOCIETY FOR INVERTEBRATE CONSERVATION 628 Northeast Broadway, Suite 200, Portland, OR 97232 toll-free 855-232-6639 fax 503-233-6794 www.xerces.org

FALL 2017 31 This plume moth (Emmelina), also known as a T-moth, was spotted on a house wall near a porch light. When open, its wings appear like a fan of feathers. Photograph by Matthew Shepherd.

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 Logan Lauvray Wendell Gilgert Dennis Paulson Vice President Boris Kondratieff Robert Michael Pyle Linda Craig Claire Kremen Michael Samways Treasurer John Losey Cheryl Schultz Sacha Spector Secretary Thomas Lovejoy Robbin Thorp Beth Robertson-Martin Scott E. Miller Paul Williams Casey Sclar Gary Paul Nabhan E. O. Wilson Marla Spivak Piotr Naskrecki Rachael Winfree

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

On the cover: The giant robber fly Promachus( hinei) uses its heavily spined legs to grab prey in midair. Photographed in Oklahoma by Bryan E. Reynolds.