Fender’s Blue Butterfly – Oregon Conservation Strategy

Overview

Species Common Name Fender’s Blue Butterfly
Species Scientific Name Icaricia icarioides fenderi
Federal Listing Status Endangered

Ecoregions

Willamette Valley

The Willamette Valley ecoregion is bounded on the west by the Coast Range and on the east by the Cascade Range. This long mostly level alluvial plain has some scattered areas of low basalt, and contrasts with productive farmland and large urban areas. It has the fastest-growing human population in the state resulting in challenges due to land-use changes.

Special needs

Fender's blue butterflies inhabit native prairie and oak savannah. They require Kincaid’s lupine as a host plant.

Limiting factors

Principal threats to Fender's blue butterfly are habitat loss and degradation. Invasive vegetation can displace Kincaid's lupine, the primary larval host plant, and other native plants upon which the butterfly depends.

Data gaps

Continue surveys and consider for down-listing at a future time.

Conservation actions

Maintain and restore wet prairie habitat and populations of Kincaid’s lupine. Use caution when implementing gypsy moth control in nearby forests.