{"id":11301,"date":"2022-06-03T11:14:40","date_gmt":"2022-06-03T16:14:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/?p=11301"},"modified":"2022-06-04T10:07:58","modified_gmt":"2022-06-04T15:07:58","slug":"how-many-eggs-does-karner-blue-butterfly-lay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/how-many-eggs-does-karner-blue-butterfly-lay\/","title":{"rendered":"How Many Eggs Does A Karner Blue Butterfly Lay?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Different types of butterflies lay different numbers of eggs; the number can depend on the butterfly\u2019s size and lifespan, among other environmental factors. Today, you\u2019re wondering, how many eggs does a Karner blue butterfly lay? What time of year does this butterfly lay its eggs? What is the Karner blue\u2019s life cycle? Keep reading to find out answers to all of these questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Many Eggs Does a Karner Blue Lay?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Karner blues are tiny butterflies, with small bodies and wingspans no more than an inch in diameter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve probably heard that they\u2019re endangered<\/a>, and you may think that part of the reason for this is that they are too small to lay enough eggs to reproduce at a fast enough rate to keep their own species going, but this isn\u2019t entirely true<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karner blue butterflies do lay fewer eggs than some types of butterflies. A female Karner blue may lay as many as 80 eggs in her lifetime; by comparison, the much larger tiger swallowtail may lay up to 250 eggs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, 80 eggs from such a small butterfly is quite impressive. It\u2019s thought that about 40 to 50 percent of eggs laid survive to adulthood; so if each mating pair produces 30 to 40 adult butterflies which can then mate and reproduce themselves, the problem of endangerment isn\u2019t necessarily the number of eggs laid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karner blues lay their eggs on or near wild blue lupine plants, as the leaves of these plants are the only thing their larvae will eat. Yearly numbers of Karner blues depend on the success of overwintering eggs, which may be destroyed if large areas of wild blue lupine are torn out or if periods of unseasonably warm weather cause them to hatch too soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s more, habitat loss can lead to starvation for entire populations of Karner blue caterpillars in localized areas. For example, too many eggs may be laid in areas where the wild blue lupine is dying out due to succession.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some regions, efforts have been made to relocate Karner blue eggs<\/a> from areas where wild blue lupine is dying or about to be torn out to areas where it is thriving. This is, of course, because the survival and restoration of this endangered butterfly begins with saving its eggs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out this video of a Karner blue laying eggs. You\u2019ll notice it is laying eggs on a pitch pine rather than wild blue lupine; undoubtedly the host plant is nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=neWhdZp8bJM<\/a>