28 May 2004

Citizen finds "extinct" butterfly

As this issue of The Citizen Scientist was being put to bed, a newspaper article arrived that described an ongoing effort to return a butterfly thought to be extinct to its original habitat in South Florida.

The Miami blue butterfly (Hemiargus thomasi) was thought to be extinct after the only remaining colony, which was located on Key Biscayne, was wiped out by Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

The Miami blue was formerly very common in South Florida. But this and other butterfly species were hit hard by loss of habitat from land development and by insecticides used to control mosquitoes. An interesting aspect of the Miami blue's life cycle is that its caterpillars are sometimes tended by ants much like ants tend aphids. The ants protect the caterpillars, which, in turn, provide a honeydew material consumed by the ants.

According to the newspaper article, in 1999 "an amateur butterfly enthusiast" discovered a colony of "extinct" Florida blues rare species at Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys. The article then listed various scientists who are attempting to return the Miami blue to its former habitat by releasing Miami blue caterpillars in Everglades National Park.

The problem with the article is that it did not also name the citizen scientist who discovered the new colony of Miami blues. So an Internet search engine was enlisted to find this person's identity.

The first likely looking document was FINAL BIOLOGICAL STATUS REPORT: MIAMI BLUE published by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at www.floridaconservation.org/commission/2003/may/Miami_blue.pdf.

According to this report, "The Miami blue was thought to be extirpated following Hurricane Andrew in 1992." The report noted that many surveys by "qualified individuals and biologists" had failed to find any new Miami blues. Finally, a paper by J. Ruffin, and J. Glassberg. ("Miami Blues still fly". American Butterflies 8, 28-29, 2000) reported that a colony of Miami blues had been found in November 1999 at Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys.

More searching eventually turned up a report on the web site of the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) at www.naba.org/miamiblue.html. According to the report, NABA member Jane Ruffin was the individual who found the lost colony of Miami blues. The web site report is accompanied by several nice photographs of this magnificent little butterfly, one of which accompanies this news article. The photographs were made by butterfly expert Jeffrey Glassberg.

While searching for more information about Jane Ruffin, it soon became evident that she is more than just a butterfly enthusiast. Her photographs have been published in butterfly guides, she has written about butterflies, she lectures about butterflies and she is even listed on the staff of a museum.

No information could be found about Jane Ruffin's academic credentials. So perhaps she is not a professional lepidopterist, as suggested by the newspaper account that refers to her as a "butterfly enthusiast."

And that's a wonderful way to end this news story. For what matters most about Jane Ruffin is her accomplishments and her expertise--and the fact she is responsible for finding the lost colony of Miami blues that may eventually result in the restoration of that once common butterfly.

For more information about the North American Butterfly Association, visit the organization's web site at www.naba.org

Forrest M. Mims III.