Saint John's Arboretum > Land Stewardship > Plants and Wildlife > Butterflies

Butterflies

As in all ecosystems, all organisms play a vital and unique role in existence. One of the members of the ecosystem that make the beautiful and wide array of prairie flowers possible are butterflies. As a taxonomical order, Lepidoptera, feed primarily on nectar. As with their cousins insects, Hymenoptera, or bees, they are avid pollinators as they travel from plant to plant seeking nectar from the plants. In 1995, a study was started at the John's Arboretum to compare the species diversity on the restored prairie and a virgin prairie that has escaped the agricultural transition. This prairie remnant is an excellent control to see how the restoration project is progressing. The virgin prairie is in Roscoe, MN located approximately 16 miles southeast from St. John's.

There have been many helpful insights that this study has provided the Arboretum with already. Primarily, it has shown how fire, although an excellent means of prairie maintenance in nature, can be detrimental to the insects that are over wintering on the dead stalks of grass. By making this observation, the prairie has been divided into three different parts which are burned in a three year cycle.

Below is a listing of several prairie plants found in the Saint John's Arboretum.
Photos are available for underlined butterfly names.

Species	Roscoe 1995	Roscoe 1999	Roscoe 2000	SJU Prairie 1995	SJU Prairie 1998	SJU Prairie 1999	SJU Prairie 2000	SJU Prairie 2001	SJU Inner Campus 1999	SJU Inner Campus 2000	SJU Inner Campus 2001
American Copper					*		*	*		*
American Painted Lady	*	*		*	*	*		*			*
American Snout									*
Arctic Skipper						*	*		*
Black Swallowtail+	*			*	*	*	*	*			*
Bronze Copper				*			*	*	*
Buckeye		*		*			*	*	*		*
Cabbage White							*	*		*	*
Checkered White								*			*
Common Branded Skipper						*			*
Common Checkered Skipper		*						*		*
Common Sootywing						*
Common Wood Nymph	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Dark Wood Nymph								*	*		*
Dusky Azure								*	*
Dusky Skipper				*
Dwarf Yellow									*
Eastern Comma								*	*		*
Eastern Tailed Blue	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Eyed Brown	*	*	*	*	*		*	*	*	*
Gorgone Checkerspot				*
Gray Copper							*	*
Gray Hairstreak				*	*
Great Spangled Fritillary+	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Juvenal's Duskywing						*		*		*
Least Skipperling	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Long Dash	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*		*	*
Meadow Fritillary	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Milbert's Tortoiseshell				*			*	*
Monarch	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Mourning Cloak	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Mustard White			*				*	*		*	*
Northern Crescent								*			*
Northern Pearly Eye						*		*	*
Northwest Ringlet						*		*
Painted Lady								*			*
Pearl Crescent	*	*	*	*	*		*	*	*	*	*
Powersheik Skipperling	*			*				*
Prairie Ringlet	*	*		*	*	*	*	*
Purplish Copper									*
Question Mark				*		*		*	*		*
Red-spotted Purple					*
Red Admiral+	*			*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Regal Fritillary	*	*			*
Silver-bordered Fritillary	*
Silvery Blue	*	*				*		*	*
Silver Spotted Skipper					*		*			*
Spring Azure			*		*	*	*	*	*	*
Sulphur	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Tawny-edged Skipper					*
Tiger Swallowtail		*					*	*	*	*	*
Variegated Fritillary						*		*
Viceroy	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
White Admiral	*	*		*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Yellow Patch Skipper	*	*		*
Species number	22	21	14	26	24	25	27	40	28	20	20
+ Photo by Fran Hoefgen, O.S.B.