Another ecology question as plants start to come out. The plant on the left is Sheep Sorrel, a member of the dock family.
Which of the butterflies on the right use Sheep Sorrel as a host plant?
- Top
- Bottom
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Click below to reveal the answer to this weeks’ quiz.
The answer is top, the American Copper. The butterfly on the bottom, a European Skipper, prefers species of grass like all skippers.
Sheep’s Sorrel is an introduced and naturalized species from Eurasia. It is now found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, especially on disturbed, acidic soils like roadsides and degraded fields. Sheep’s Sorrel contains oxalic acid, which produces a tart, sour taste, making it a favorite for foragers to add to salads and a garnish. The American Copper hosts on native species of dock, like Sour and Curly Dock, as well as the naturalized Sheep’s Sorrel. But the introduced species causes no problems for the American Copper because they are actually a holarctic species, meaning they range across the whole northern hemisphere and are adapted to host on Sheep’s Sorrel in its native range.
The European Skipper, as the name suggests, is also a non-native species and was introduced from Europe in the early 1900s. It is now one of the most abundant skipper species in New England. The European Skipper has gotten lucky as their preferred host plants have also been introduced to Vermont including Orchard Grass and Timothy Grass and native Quack Grass among others.
Sheep’s sorrel by Jensu (iNaturalist) - from where it’s native!
European Skipper by Kent McFarland (iNaturalist)
American Copper by Tracy Sherbrook (iNaturalist)
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