Presidential Range Alpine Butterflies: 10,000 years living on 10 square miles

White Mountain Arctic ( Oenis melissa semidea ) image by Allison Bell

two-year life cycle host plant Bigelow’s Sedge ( Carex bigelowii )

Butterflies of the Eastern United States and Canada (1889) Samuel Hubbard Scudder

Sedge “lawn”

White Mountain Arctic Habitat and Monitoring Sites sedge meadow (80 ha, 3% of total alpine zone)

Lek site Sedge lawn

image by Ben Griffith

sunny, calm flying time is limited

2008 sun on Mt Washington completely sunny days: one in June, one in July, three in August percent of minutes sunny: 21% June, 30% July, 28% August Days more than half sunny: 18 of 92 June had five days more than half sunny, but three of those had an average wind speed of more than 30mph

completely sunny days: one in June, one in July, three in August

percent of minutes sunny: 21% June, 30% July, 28% August

Days more than half sunny: 18 of 92

June had five days more than half sunny, but three of those had an average wind speed of more than 30mph

White Mountain Fritillary ( Boloria titania montinus)

White Mountain Fritillary habitats snowbank, cushion-tussock and alpine streamside plant communities.

White Mountain Fritillary Habitat and Monitoring Sites herbaceous snowbank (3 ha,<1% of alpine zone) cushion-tussock (94 ha, 3% of alpine zone)

Important Nectar Sources . alpine goldenrod, purple-stemmed aster and meadowsweet

Used in Eastern Canada : Dwarf Willows( Salix herbacea ) Alpine Smartweed or Bistort ( Polygonum viviparum) Violets ( Viola palustris and V. adunca ) Other Populations: Willows (S. uva-ursi, S. argyrocarpa, S. planifolia) Alpine Bilberry ( Vaccinium uliginosum ) Dwarf Bilberry ( V. caespitosum ) Velvet Leaf Bilberry ( V. myrtilloides ) Low Sweet Blueberry (V. angustifolium* ) Mountain Cranberry ( V. vitis-idaea ) Small Cranberry ( V. oxycoccos ) Potential Host Plants

Arctic Fritillary ( Boloria titania) Melissa Arctic ( Oeneis melissa )

Population Isolation after Glaciation Macrofossil and pollen assemblages from lake sediment cores indicate that the White Mountain region was deglaciated prior to 13,000 years ago (Spear 1981). From 10,300 to 9,000 BP temperatures increased and subalpine forests were established, effectively isolating the alpine vegetation from the retreating tundra vegetation to the north.

Lake of the Clouds

At the Holocene Climatic Optimum (~2,500 BP) trees may have grown as high as 1,700 meters on the Presidential Range.

Short-term threats are small Linear distance and area estimated to be impacted by hiking trails in selected alpine vegetation communities of the Presidential Range, New Hampshire. Average trail width was estimated to be 2 meters. Vegetation Community Linear Trail Distance (m) Impacted Area (Ha) Total Area (Ha) Percent Impacted Sedge meadow (arctic) 4654.5 0.9 80 1.2 Herbaceous snowbank (fritillary) 140.4 0.03 3 0.9 Cushion-tussock (fritillary) 6706.3 1.3 94 1.4 Total 11,502 2.23 177 1.3

Physiological limits – it can be too warm to survive. Habitat loss – it can be too warm for a habitat or host plant to survive Host plant changes Altered relationships with other animals – predators or parasites and disease may become more abundant. Altered phenology – butterfly life cycle can “out of sync” with host plant (e.g., Edith’s Checkerspot ). How are alpine butterflies vulnerable to climate change?

Physiological limits – it can be too warm to survive.

Habitat loss – it can be too warm for a habitat or host plant to survive

Host plant changes

Altered relationships with other animals – predators or parasites and disease may become more abundant.

Altered phenology – butterfly life cycle can “out of sync” with host plant (e.g., Edith’s Checkerspot ).

Winter mean temperature +1.3ºF Spring mean temperature +1.4ºF Summer mean temperature no trend warming of 0.58ºF Mean Annual Temperature – Mount Washington Observatory Grant et al [2005]

Projecting Future Climate Change for the Northeast: Rising Annual Temperatures 2 o F warming since 1970 Higher: 3.6-6.9 o C Lower: 1.9-3.6 o C

BITH habitat Mean July Temp 13 ° C – 19 ° C Presidential Range, NH Mean July Temperature Model

Average temperature in July current (55-66° F)

Average temperature in July future (+3.6° F)

Average temperature in July future (+9° F)

White Mountain Fritillary White Mountain Arctic

Historic Population Status Scudder (1889) “…in its season this butterfly is exceedingly abundant.” He also reports that Oakes (a botanist at that time) found them “abundant” in June 1826 and Morrison (unknown observer) called them “very abundant” in first week of July 1874. ____________________________________________________ Scudder (1889) “ Probably no wandering collector has often seen more than eight or ten of these butterflies in a day’s scramble among the mountains, but if sought early in July they might be found in greater abundance; on a single occasion only I have seen as many as four at one time; they are most common about the steep heads of the great ravines…” He also wrote, “ The butterflies, never very abundant…” and, “…as it would seem as if some special device were needed to maintain this apparently nearly extinct species in such a desolate region.” Later, Scudder (1897) wrote, “ The [Boloria] indeed seems really doomed to destruction. In the scanty numbers that one may find upon the mountain slopes, one sees the sign of their early departure; for, in the many years that I have searched for them with special pains, I have never seen more that a dozen or two specimens in a single day.”

Thank You for Logistic and Financial Support! The Waterman Fund Leighlan Prout, White Mountain National Forest Howie Wemyss, Mount Washington Auto Road Nancy Ritger, Appalachian Mountain Club

Current butterfly habitat mapping and monitoring is made possible with alpine vegetation data shared by the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC).

Jocelyn Smith, Antioch University New England Ken Hotopp, Appalachian Conservation Biology Brendan Collins, VCE Biologist