Nectar in oak savannas: implications for butterfly conservation.

ABSTRACT: Restoring critically imperiled midwestern oak savanna habitat is frequently guided by the requirements of the federally endangered Karner blue butterfly (Plebejus melissa samuelis). Although studies often correlate butterfly population size or density with nectar species abundance, nectar characteristics are seldom considered. We compared floral nectar resources across 15 sites categorized by Karner blue butterfly occupancy by quantifying the floral abundance, nectar volume, and sugar concentration for 22 species, calculating their mean nectar availability per stem, measuring environmental variables, and estimating a species' nectar sugar contribution to the landscape across seasons. Species identity predicted nectar volume and sugar concentrations. Mean nectar volume ranged between 0.02 a

SUBMITTER: Turner M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11982782 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature