Photo: Courtesy of MassWildlife.
MONTAGUE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) After a long string of habitat restoration efforts, state wildlife officials have found success in bringing the frosted elfin caterpillar population levels up in Montague, Massachusetts.
According to MassWildlife's announcement, the species does not take their living arrangements lightly— and only lay eggs on two types of plants: the sundial lupine and yellow wild indigo. The frosted elfin were found living in the Montague Plains Wildlife Management Area (WMA) among two dozen sites across the state.
Officials have been working for years to restore the frosted elfin population by increasing the number of sundial lupine plants, among other things.
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“The unique barrens habitat at Montague Plains WMA is considered regionally and globally rare, making our restoration efforts at this site especially important for rare animals and plants that require this special habitat type. It is incredibly rewarding to see decades of effort paying off to benefit this threatened butterfly," MassWildlife’s Habitat Program Manager Brian Hawthorne said.
Photo: Courtesy of MassWildlife.
Officials say the main threat to the frosted elfin is habitat loss, but thanks to restoration work, the original quarter-acre of "little bluestem" near one of the lupine patches has grown to cover nearly 20 acres.
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