Wren Nectar Network Prairie Enhancements

The Marys river watershed council has been working with the community of Wren conserving native prairies which are important habitat for the Fenders Blue Butterfly and its host plant the Kincaid’s lupine. The Watersheds Councils prairie conservation work has been supported by local landowners, the community of Wren, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bonneville Power Administration, and Benton County. Work throughout Wren has enhanced habitat quality and connectivity for the butterfly and other native meadow species.

The Wren Community is located in the Marys River watershed and the transitional area between the Coast Range and Willamette Valley lowlands. The region supports native oak savanna ecosystems that became significantly rarer after development of the valley and suppression of historic burning that maintained open prairie habitats. High quality habitat fragments remain but are often separated by areas of human development and forests and end up supporting smaller and more fragile populations of plants and animals. Reconnecting prairie fragments can increase the range available to native species and allow genetic mixing and dispersal which increases the viability of previously isolated populations.

Both the Fender’s Blue Butterfly and the Kincaid’s lupine are federally listed under the Endangered Species Act. The Kincaid’s Lupine is the Fender’s Blue Butterflies primary host plant and is required for butterfly populations to thrive. The Butterfly is only found in the Willamette Valley and was presumed extinct until the rediscovery of small populations in the 1990’s. After rediscovery incredible effort was put into its restoration and reintroduction into historic habitats. butterfly populations have grown from around 4000 individuals in the 2000’s to more than 30,000 but still only occupy a fraction of their historic prairie habitat.

Wren Nectar Network Prairie Enhancement projects ranged from coordinating and connecting with local landowners to planting of endangered Kincaid’s lupine. The Watershed council assisted with research and monitoring of Kincaid’s lupine patches and Fender’s Blue Butterfly populations to ensure the health of remaining habitat patches. Noxious weeds were mechanically removed and encroaching trees that would historically have been thinned and removed through fire were selectively thinned to ensure the connectivity and persistence of remaining habitat. Field trips were hosted by the Watershed Council to bring students into nature to learn about local habitats and ecosystem conservation. 

Bonneville Power Administrations power line cuts provide flyways for the Fender’s Blue Butterfly and the Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly. Continued maintenance of the areas around the power lines allows the butterflies to persist in the area and move between suitable neighboring habitats. The institute for Applied Ecology monitors each species with a focus on the Taylor’s Checkerspot in the area and conducts restoration and conservation research on Willamette Valley prairie habitats. Work by the Watershed Councils, landowners, agencies, and other nonprofits in the Willamette Valley has led to the downlisting of the Fender’s Blue Butterfly from endangered to threatened in January 2023.