Nectar plant selection by the Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Grundel R, Pavlovic NB, Sulzman CL. 2000. Nectar plant selection by the Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The American Midland Naturalist. 144(1):1-10
Karner blue butterfly nectar plant selections were studied at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore to better understand the nectar source preferences of the species. The butterflies were observed for feeding behaviors at four different sites: Inland Marsh, Marquette Trail, Miller Woods, and Tolleston Dunes. The plants on which they were feeding were identified and recorded. The nectar plant species that fell within the butterfly's small search area were also ranked according to number of flowers within a 2-m radius circle.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Grundel, Ralph; Pavlovic, Noel; Sulzman, Christina
- Units
- INDU
- Keywords
- Karner Blue Butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis), nectar, Plants (Plantae), Threatened & Endangered Species