The Bay Checkerspot

The Bay Checkerspot is a very very rare butterfly. It occurs in very very few places near San Francisco on special areas called Serpentine Grassland

This is a picture of some Serpentine Grassland. Click on it to see a bigger version.

The Bay Checkerspot lays its eggs on a kind of Plantain which drys up quickly in the heat. The caterpillars often then transfer to another plant called Owls Clover to complete their growth..

This is picture of the Bay Checkerspot Click on to to see a bigger version

One of the major problems in conserving this butterfly is that it is exists in groups of colonies which periodically die out to be recolonised from neighbouring sites. In this system many of the sites it needs may not actually be occupied at any given time but are vital for its long term survival.