USFWS Fire to Promote Habitat for the Oregon Silverspot Butterfly (15215634784)

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Description: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Fire staff completed a prescribed burn on the Cannery Hill unit of Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge yesterday. Nestucca Bay Refuge lands are located near Pacific City and Neskowin, in Tillamook County, Oregon. Cannery Hill contains 25 acres of former upland coastal prairie habitat. This area has the potential to provide life-supporting habitat for the federally listed Oregon silverspot butterfly and other coastal prairie-dependent species. The life history of the Oregon silverspot revolves around its obligatory host plant, the early blue violet. Female butterflies oviposit their eggs among the meadow vegetation near the violet host plant, and after the eggs hatch, the butterfly larvae feed on the violet’s leaves. The USFWS and the Institute for Applied Ecology (IAE) are partnering together to restore this area to its natural habitat. Native prairie grasses and forbs, including the early blue violet, will be planted and existing native prairie vegetation will be cultivated to stimulate growth. As part of the restoration project, prescribed fire is used here to remove woody species and thatch buildup- this will enhance growth and production of native prairie plant species and entice Oregon silverspot butterflies to the area. Photo credit: Brian Gales, USFWS. Date: 20 November 2014, 11:12. Source: Fire to Promote Habitat for the Oregon Silverspot Butterfly. Author: USFWS - Pacific Region.