Threatened Butterfly Vanishes from Florida Refuge

The Miami blues have not been seen on Bahia Honda Key, Fla. since July 2010. The parks biologist Jim Duquesnel wanted to see more Miami blue butterflies and to get rid of the growing number of iguanas. The reason for this is because of The Central American invader maybe the cause for making the Miami blue go extinct. The iguanas (as well as some other animals) eat the green leaves that the Miami blue lay their egg, there by the quickest way of killing them and making. These butterflies are now on the list of the endangered species along with these other butterflies- cassius blue, ceranus blue and the nickerbean blue.

The only surviving Miami blue that is living in the Key West National Wildlife Refuge, they are about 50 miles west of Bahia Honda. Right now, Duquesnel is trying to keep hope alive and save these butterfies by eradicating the iguana's from his 600-acre park that is located in the Middle Keys. Though the cause of the lowering numbers of the Miami blue may not all be blamed by the iquana's (even though that is the main suspect), another cause is from the weather. In the past Florida's weather has been from lots of rain to a drought. When it is the right weather for them, they will emerge and start to breed. And if that is the case, then their is still some hope for these butterflies to survive.

Another way of saving the Miami blue is collecting them and putting them in a captive breeding program for study and to have some of these butterflies remaining and out of harm of the iguanas. At the University of Florida's Maguire Center for Lepidoptera and Environmental Research, they have bred roughly 30,000 in their labs from 2003 to 2010. The Florida scientist transplanted the butterflies in the Upper Keys to help expand the Miami blue's geographic range. But those colonies did not survived.

 In 2006 a new population of Miami blues was discovered on a remote island in Key West refuge. But then in 2008 came the drought and then in 2009 to 2010 the cold came in, making the population in Bahia Honda do down and the rising number of Green iguanas were being seen more.

Since trying to collect and save some of the butterflies has not turned out so well, the next plan that Duquesnel has is to try and catch the lizards. Unlike butterflies where they are trick to lure and capture, iguanas can be caught. And after capturing the iguanas, the best thing for them is to relocate them somewhere else that is better suited for them, and away from any endangered insects. Also with the iguanas gone from the butterflies habitat then maybe more of the Miami blue will return and breed again.  


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46396091/ns/us_news-environment/#.TzvshnNuHrU