How did the rescue of a butterfly cause a dilemma?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
January 2, 2002
Sponsored By: Gardens Alive! -$20 Free—>Click here.
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading—>Click here.
Killer Savings Nursery Links, Unique Professionally Designed Gardens—>Click here.
Killer Picks: Shrubs Alive!™, Crop Protectant, Flower First Aid—>Click here.
First the Tekesta, then the Seminole used starch from the subterranean trunk of the coontie (Zamia pumila) for making bread. (See Plant of the Week, December 31, 2001) Settlers called the starch arrowroot. (Arrowroot refers to several starchy plants. Today, most arrowroot starch is extracted
Plant of the Week 12/31/2001
|
|
|
The coontie (Zamia pumila Linnaeus) is a relict, a plant left over from pre-history. Zamias are slow growing. Most of the photosynthates (products of photosynthesis i.e. sugars, starches) are stored in a subterranean contractile stem. The ability to pull its stem into the earth keeps the coontie and its starch safe from fire and predation by herbivores. Coonties further discourage predation with a toxin, macrozamin.
Plant of the Week 12/31/2001
|
from Maranta arundinacea.)
Starting in the 1830s, coontie mills became an industry. The starch was extracted by pulverizing the trunk, then washing it to separate the virulent toxin and fibrous materials from the starch grains.
Coonties were once numerous, but the plants are slow growing and demand for the starch outstripped the ability of the plants to reproduce and grow to a useable size. By the 1900s, most of the mills had closed and the coonties were close to extinction. A small butterfly 'disappeared' from Florida as well.
The Atala (Eumaeus atala) [you may' us at' a la] is a small black butterfly with a metallic blue sheen and bright red abdomen. The caterpillar is orange with two rows of yellow spots down the back. The aposematic coloration serves a warning. The Atala is
dependent on the coontie as the host for its larvae. The caterpillars sequester the toxin, macrozamin, as they feed on coontie leaves. Both caterpillar and butterfly are toxic to predators.
The butterfly was thought extirpated since so few coonties were left. A small colony of Atala butterflies was discovered in 1965. Conservationists brought pots of coonties to the Atala colony. When the potted plants had Atala eggs, they were taken to parks and protected locations where both coonties and Atala butterflies could re-establish.
The Atala butterfly rescue worked. At one facility, the Atala caterpillars were stripping the coonties to the point where researchers worried the plants would not survive. The dilemma: What does one do when an endangered species is eating an endangered species?
Butterflies and Moths of North America has a photograph and habitat requirements of the Atala butterfly. To learn more about this butterfly, click on the link:
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species?l=1480
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading:
Coontie (Zamia pumila) Plant of the Week - December 31, 2001
A medical mystery in Guam Herbal Folklore - May 31, 2004
What is a California sister? Renfield's Garden - February 18, 2004
Why do zebra swallowtails eat pawpaw leaves? Renfield's Garden - May 5, 2004
Who was Asclepiades Bithynus? What's in a Name? - October 11, 2002
Killer Savings Links:
Breck's Bulbs -$25 off—>Click here.
Gurney's Seed and Nursery -$20 off—>Click here.
Henry Fields Seed and Nursery -$20 off—>Click here.
Spring Hill Nursery -$20 off—>Click here.
Gardens Alive! -$20 off—>Click here.
Michigan Bulb -$20 off—>Click here.
Unique Professionally Designed Gardens
Springhill Nursery®
Spring Hill Nursery has unique gardens professionally designed by experts to take the guesswork out of gardening. Whether you are looking for a three season garden, foundation garden, or a garden to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, Spring Hill Nursery has created a step-by-step design just for you.
Click here - $20 off your first order at Spring Hill Nursery!
Shrubs Alive!™ Fertilizer for Trees and Shrubs
Gardens Alive!®
|
|
|
Supplies all the right food to your valuable woody ornamentals
Only from Gardens Alive! Get your nursery stock off to a strong start with Shrubs Alive! for Trees and Shrubs. Enhanced by Total Minerals, an extraordinarily natural mineral source, Shrubs Alive! is formulated especially for ornamental shrubs and trees.
Our tests show that twice-a-year applications of Shrubs Alive! help young shrubs and trees grow fast and reach mature size more quickly.
Your older shrubs and trees will benefit, too.
|
|
With Shrubs Alive! shrubs and trees will be:
* healthier
* more vigorous
* less susceptible to diseases, insect pests and stress caused by poor soil
Shrubs Alive! for Trees and Shrubs is a carefully balanced, slow-release formula derived from animal and plant by-products. Total Minerals provides a broad range of minerals and trace elements and has been shown to boost the growth rate of shrubs and trees while improving soil structure and fertility.
Apply Shrubs Alive! for Trees and Shrubs in early spring and again in mid-August at the rate of 2-1/2 lbs. per 100 sq. ft. Broadcast it under the canopy of shrubs and trees and water well.
Click here - $20 FREE off your first order at Gardens Alive!
For azaleas and rhododendrons, use Shrubs Alive! for Acid-Loving Plants.
Click here - $20 FREE off your first order at Gardens Alive!
|
Surround® at Home® Crop Protectant
Gardens Alive!®
|
|
|
Natural mineral-based product protects crops from many pests
Only from Gardens Alive! Surround at Home Crop Protectant is a remarkable organic product that repels insects by creating a white protective barrier on vegetables and fruit trees.
It's a real boon to both commercial and home growers because it:
* does not rely on toxicity--instead, it protects plants with a barrier film
* is listed for use in organic production
|
|
* is the best organic product available to fight hard-to-control pear psylla, plum curculio and Japanese beetles
* does not affect honeybees, earthworms or beneficial insects
* reduces sunburn damage, resulting in higher yield
Just as you wouldn't like to crawl into a bed full of gritty sand, insects don't like crawling on a plant or tree covered with Surround.
Click here - $20 FREE off your first order at Gardens Alive!
|
Flower First Aid
Gardens Alive!®
|
|
|
Flower First Aid includes: (Each purchased separately.)
* Green Guard Plant Growth Enhancer-3 pack
* Shield-All II
* Bulls-Eye Bioinsecticide
* Weather Shield
* Green-Guard Plant Growth Enhancer
Green Guard acts like a plant hormone, fungicide and fertilizer all in one. Used in combination with plant protectants, Green Guard complements their effects, improving the plant's ability to resist diseases as well as environmental stresses such as heat and drought.
Click here.
|
|
Shield-All II, derived from neem seed oil, stops fungal diseases on vegetable crops, shade trees, shrubs, houseplants, roses and other ornamentals.
Click here.
Bulls-Eye Bioinsecticide A member of a totally new class of pest control, naturally-derived Bulls-Eye achieves results like nothing else now available to organic gardeners.
Click here.
Weather Shield The better a lawn and garden spray sticks to the plants you want to treat, the better it has the opportunity to work. But environmental elements and even our own well intentioned watering actually wash away and evaporate spray insect- and disease-control products before they can have their full effect. In addition, sprays don't always cover evenly. You can mix Weather Shield with your favorite lawn and garden sprays and your sprays will work better.
Click here.
Flower Gardening - $20 FREE off your first order at Gardens Alive!
|
| |
killerplants Recommended Seed and Nursery Stores
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 BACK TO TOP
|
|
