Female Fender's
Once thought extinct, the Fender's Blue butterfly was rediscovered in 1989, and in January 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed it as endangered, under the United States Endangered Species Act.
It is a prairie (grassland) resident, with populations in both upland and wet prairies of the Willamette Valley, OR.
Traditionally, these grasslands hosted a variety of native plants and wildlife, including the primary host plant for Fender's blue larvae, the Kincaid's lupine (also listed as endangered), and the adult food source, native nectar producing flowers.
Male Fender's
The prairie ecosystem began its transition to farmland in the mid-nineteenth century with the arrival of American settlers. Today prairies represent less than one percent of their original expanse.
Because habitat destruction is the source of the problem, habitat restoration will ultimately be the answer to maintaining stability in the current population and enabling their numbers to grow.
State and federal agencies are working to improve prairie habitat on a myriad of wildlife refuges in the area. Private groups are also participating in restoration programs.
Scientific research into breeding both Kincaid's lupine and the Fender's Blue butterfly (for the purpose of restoring them in the wild) are also ongoing.
The top picture shows the male, with black borders around blue wings. The bottom picture shows the female, from a side view.
