Introduced plant species get a bad rap in ecology for disrupting native ecosystems. However, sometimes native animals cab adapt to these disruptions by using these plants for food or structural habitat. In these cases, as introduced species expand their range native species can “ride the wave” and expand their own range in the process. This is exactly what happened to the Wild Indigo Duskywing, first reported in Vermont during the 1st Vermont Butterfly Atlas.
Which of the pictures below shows the introduced species that the Wild Indigo Duskywing followed to Vermont?
Read on to find out the answer to this weeks’ quiz!
The picture on the left shows Purple Crownvetch, the introduced plant attributed to the spread of Wild Indigo Duskywing. The plant on the right, Tufted or Cow Vetch, is also introduced but naturalized.
Crownvetch is native to Africa, Asian and Europe but was introduced to the United State as a form of erosion control. It has particularly been used for roadside plantings and is considered an invasive species in some states, although not Vermont. The Wild Indigo Duskywing was first noted to use the plant over 30 years ago.
But the Tufted Vetch is not butterfly-less. The Silvery Blue hosts on legumes of all kinds and is particularly attracted to Vetches. Like the Wild Indigo Duskywing, the Silvery Blue have spread to new areas following the expansion of the Tufted Vetch (and Purple Crownvetch). In 1899, a lepidopterist noted that it had never been found in New England. It was first found in northern Vermont in 1987.
Photo credit:
Purple Crownvetch by Tracy Sherbrook (iNaturalist)
Tufted Vetch by Jim Bennett (iNaturalist)
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