Baltimore checkerspot butterfly

Now that my sixth grade daughter has learned about lab safety (for example, don't put chemicals in your eyeballs, don't play with biological waste such as dissected frog livers), she and her classmates in Investigations into Science have delved into their first unit - The Butterfly Habitat Project.

She was interested to read this Washington Post article at school to learn about our Maryland state butterfly - the Baltimore Checkerspot (photo). Unfortunately, the Baltimore Checkerspot is in danger. Here's what she informed me about...

• The plant the butterflies thrive on, the White Turtlehead, is being eaten by the exploding population of the white-tailed deer.
• The deer are also consuming the larvae as they eat the leaves of the plant.
• Their habitats are being lost due to development and crop agriculture.
• Drift from insecticides being applied contributes to the problem.
• Global warming contributes to habitat change.
• Since the 1990's, the population has been drastically reduced. The Baltimore Checkerspot colonies are now only found in about 5 counties.

Here's what the Baltimore Checkerspot needs for survival:

• Wet meadows with lots of White Turtlehead - their required larval food.
• A habitat kept open and sunny, but with very limited mowing.
• For long-term survival, they need a patchwork of nearby sites located no more than 1/4 mile from then next.

There are major conservation projects around the area:

• Efforts are being made to fund deer exclusion fences.
• Scientists and conservationists are looking for ways to raise butterflies in captivity to replenish the population (The Baltimore Zoo, Carroll County Outdoor School, and other locations participate).
• Landowners will search for colonies.

Sources: http://www.fairhillnature.org/, my daughter, The Washington Post

EDITED TO ADD: Sixth graders - that's cool that you're reading my blog to get ideas for your project, but please click and read this post about using credible sources in your project!