ent, agriculture, roadside management, and woody succession (change of the land to shrubby woodland). Wisconsin still has the most widespread populations along with: Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire and New York. But Karner blue population numbers have dropped in the United States mostly because the areas where wild lupine grows have been developed or divided up for roads, buildings, towns, and cities.
This habitat has also lost the natural disturbance, such as wildfire and grazing animals, needed to keep this area a prairie habitat. Fire helps keep the prairie from changing or "succeeding" into a forest habitat and keeps the lupine population healthy. This is a natural and important tool for managing the land, although, fire can be lethal to the Karner blue's eggs and caterpillars living on the lupine and plant litter. Even though this method sounds dangerous for the butterfly, fire and other practices such as timber harvest, planting, and herbicide treatment in the right doses can help provide new areas for butterflies to colonize. One other threat to the butterfly population is unethical butterfly collectors who think the rare and beautiful Karner blue would be a great addition to their collection. What they don't know is that even the loss of a few individuals could harm the butterfly population. Also, people who own land in the habitat range of the Karner blue may not know that they're there and could unknowingly harm Karner blue habitat or their populations. To battle all of these problems, the Wisconsin DNR is developing a statewide habitat conservation plan (HCP) and environmental impact statement to help protect the Karner blue butterfly. It will take time as biologists complete this very large study and finish their report examining the habitat, range, lifecycle, history, as well as state and public management efforts to help this butterfly in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin is fortunate because our landscape supports the largest and most widespread Karner blue populations worldwide. You'll find healthy populations in the far northwestern parts of the state, but they live mostly in central Wisconsin. To see what counties they can be seen in, take a look at the Wisconsin map.
Where can you see the Karner blue in Wisconsin? Look for the butterflies near patches of wild lupine in late May and early June. Later in the summer, wild lupine becomes difficult to see and the butterflies are easier to see drinking nectar on flowers such as butterfly weed, sunflowers, goldenrods, and other late summer blossoms.
Learn the techniques of butterfly watching, then go to places where you can see the Karner blues:
If you live in central or far northwest parts of Wisconsin, find out where the nearest Karner blue habitat area is to you and get involved with local conservation projects that would benefit them the most. Contact your county forester to get more information. You can also help other butterflies by getting involved with a butterfly count, helping educate people about the Karner blue, planting a butterfly garden, or by getting involved with a butterfly group. Here are some butterfly contacts:
Wisconsin's 4th of July Butterfly Count:
Help count butterflies of all types. Go to the North American Butterfly Association's clickable map to find the nearest butterfly count location to you, then click on it to find out who the contact person is in Wisconsin:
Learn more about the Karner blue and other butterflies in Wisconsin (Leaves EEK!):