White Mountain Arctic (Oeneis melissa semidea) nectaring on Mountain Sandwort (Arenaria Groenlandica) / © K.P. McFarland
Through examination of historic records, field surveys, and monitoring, VCE is helping policy makers and land managers make sound conservation decisions concerning these rare alpine species. Thanks in part to our work, these unique butterflies are now formally recognized as “sensitive species” by the White Mountain National Forest. And, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department listed the White Mountain Arctic as threatened and the White Mountain Fritillary as endangered in 2008.
Publications
- McFarland K.P., J.D. Lloyd, and S.P. Hardy. 2017. Density and Habitat Relationships of the Endemic White Mountain Fritillary (Boloria chariclea montinus) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae). Insects 8(2): 57. doi:10.3390/insects8020057
- McFarland, K.P. 2003. Conservation Assessment of Two Endemic Butterflies (White Mountain Arctic, Oeneis melissa semidea, and White Mountain Fritillary, Boloria chariclea montinus) in the Presidential Range Alpine Zone, White Mountains, New Hampshire. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.4800619.v1
