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Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

1998

Journal

Prairie

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Education

The Status Of Iowa's Lepidoptera, Dennis W. Schlicht, Timothy T. Orwig Jan 1998

The Status Of Iowa's Lepidoptera, Dennis W. Schlicht, Timothy T. Orwig

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Including strays, 122 species of butterflies have been confirmed in Iowa. However, since European settlement the populations of taxa of Iowa Lepidoptera have declined. While certain generalist species have experienced declines, species with life cycles that include native habitats, especially prairies and wetlands, have been particularly vulnerable. In a 1994 revision of the Iowa endangered and threatened species list, the Natural Resource Commission (NRC) listed two species of butterflies as endangered, five as threatened, and 25 as special concern, using general legal definitions of those rankings (NRC 1994). But after examining recent records, we have revised that list, using numbers …


Decline Of Iowa Populations Of The Regal Fritillary (Speyeria Idalia) Drury, Diane M. Debinskl, Liesl Kelly Jan 1998

Decline Of Iowa Populations Of The Regal Fritillary (Speyeria Idalia) Drury, Diane M. Debinskl, Liesl Kelly

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

The Regal Fritillary butterfly, Speyeria idalia Drury (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae, Argynninae), is a prairie endemic species which has exhibited a dramatic decline in Iowa during the last few decades. Tallgrass prairie is the primary habitat of S. idalia and the butterfly's presence is correlated with the presence of violets (Violaceae). Due to the extensive habitat fragmentation of Iowa prairies, both the butterfly and its host plant populations are limited primarily to unplowed, relatively pristine prairies. Thus, S. idalia is an excellent case study of a prairie endemic species. Here, we report on the results of a two-year survey of the insect …


Iowa Prairie: Original Extent And Loss, Preservation And Recovery Attempts, Daryl D. Smith Jan 1998

Iowa Prairie: Original Extent And Loss, Preservation And Recovery Attempts, Daryl D. Smith

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Iowa's prairie has to be assessed in the context of the pre- and post-agriculturally dominated ecosystem in which it now exists. This requires an understanding of prairies and of society's perspective of prairies. Therefore, the attitudes of people through time have to be considered; (1) those who were involved in the demise of the prairie, (2) those who helped saved the pieces of the prairie and (3) those who may be called upon to recover the prairie ecosystem.