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Zoo InternQuest is a seven-week career exploration program for San Diego County high school juniors and seniors. Students have the unique opportunity to meet professionals working for the San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, and Institute for Conservation Research, learn about their jobs, and then blog about their experience online. Follow their adventures here on the Zoo’s website!
When most people think of endangered animals, they picture exotic species like pandas, elephants and polar bears. It can be hard to imagine that animals native to our own backyards can face similar threats, but the quino checkerspot butterfly is one such species that has become endangered.
The quino checkerspot butterfly is native to Southern California, with a habitat that once ranged from Santa Barbara down to Mexico. It relies on a plantain known as plantago erecta for food and a place to lay eggs. Plantago erecta is an annual plant, meaning it completes its life cycle and germinates new seeds each year. Between the four months when the old plantago erecta is dead and the new one has not begun to grow, the quino checkerspot butterfly goes into torpor, an inactive state similar to hibernation. The quino checkerspot butterfly will become active again just in time for the growth of new plantago erecta, on which it will lay eggs.
In recent years, however, the quino checkerspot butterfly has faced risks caused by habitat loss and drought. Modern development has created an urban environment that inhibits the quino checkerspot butterfly’s movement and clears areas where native plants would normally grow. This coupled with long seasons of drought reduces the amount of plantago erecta available to the quino checkerspot butterfly, and unfortunately, many are unable to survive or reproduce.
The San Diego Zoo teamed up with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help improve the prospects of the quino checkerspot butterfly. Insect Keeper Brandon Rowley was able to meet with us and discuss the steps the Zoo has taken to encourage the success of the quino checkerspot butterfly. Mr. Rowley explained that although Riverside is the last “hotspot” of the quino checkerspot butterfly, the Zoo has been cultivating a small colony in San Diego. Insect keepers like Mr. Rowley raise eggs and larvae in the Zoo’s Butterfly Conservation Lab, carefully monitoring the growth and numbers of the population. Keepers simulate natural conditions by providing items such as the plantago erecta (which is grown on site) and napkins under which the young caterpillars burrow before going into torpor. When the next generation of butterflies emerges fully grown, they are released into the wild.
Mr. Rowley describes his profession as “conservation in the rawest terms.” From a young age, he knew he wanted to work with animals. He attended California Polytechnic State University, San Louis Obispo and received a B.A. in biology. Now specializing in the conservation of birds and insects, he finds it very rewarding to reintroduce species back into their native geographic areas. Mr. Rowley hopes to continue working with endangered species at the Zoo and would like to pursue a master’s degree in the not too distant future.
Although the general public might not be able to work directly with endangered species, there are many action steps we can take to help protect our local habitats. Native pollinators like the quino checkerspot butterfly play an important role in maintaining our plant life and ecosystems. We can help pollinators by doing easy things, such as reducing the amount of water we use and decorating our gardens with plantago erecta or other native plants that provide food and shelter for many native endangered species. By doing simple tasks, we can increase our sustainability and decrease our impact on the environment.
Kendall, Conservation Team
Week Two, Fall Session 2017
When most people think of endangered animals, they picture exotic species like pandas, elephants and polar bears. It can be hard to imagine that animals native to our own backyards can face similar threats, but the quino checkerspot butterfly is one such species that has become endangered.
The quino checkerspot butterfly is native to Southern California, with a habitat that once ranged from Santa Barbara down to Mexico. It relies on a plantain known as plantago erecta for food and a place to lay eggs. Plantago erecta is an annual plant, meaning it completes its life cycle and germinates new seeds each year. Between the four months when the old plantago erecta is dead and the new one has not begun to grow, the quino checkerspot butterfly goes into torpor, an inactive state similar to hibernation. The quino checkerspot butterfly will become active again just in time for the growth of new plantago erecta, on which it will lay eggs.
In recent years, however, the quino checkerspot butterfly has faced risks caused by habitat loss and drought. Modern development has created an urban environment that inhibits the quino checkerspot butterfly’s movement and clears areas where native plants would normally grow. This coupled with long seasons of drought reduces the amount of plantago erecta available to the quino checkerspot butterfly, and unfortunately, many are unable to survive or reproduce.
The San Diego Zoo teamed up with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to help improve the prospects of the quino checkerspot butterfly. Insect Keeper Brandon Rowley was able to meet with us and discuss the steps the Zoo has taken to encourage the success of the quino checkerspot butterfly. Mr. Rowley explained that although Riverside is the last “hotspot” of the quino checkerspot butterfly, the Zoo has been cultivating a small colony in San Diego. Insect keepers like Mr. Rowley raise eggs and larvae in the Zoo’s Butterfly Conservation Lab, carefully monitoring the growth and numbers of the population. Keepers simulate natural conditions by providing items such as the plantago erecta (which is grown on site) and napkins under which the young caterpillars burrow before going into torpor. When the next generation of butterflies emerges fully grown, they are released into the wild.
Mr. Rowley describes his profession as “conservation in the rawest terms.” From a young age, he knew he wanted to work with animals. He attended California Polytechnic State University, San Louis Obispo and received a B.A. in biology. Now specializing in the conservation of birds and insects, he finds it very rewarding to reintroduce species back into their native geographic areas. Mr. Rowley hopes to continue working with endangered species at the Zoo and would like to pursue a master’s degree in the not too distant future.
Although the general public might not be able to work directly with endangered species, there are many action steps we can take to help protect our local habitats. Native pollinators like the quino checkerspot butterfly play an important role in maintaining our plant life and ecosystems. We can help pollinators by doing easy things, such as reducing the amount of water we use and decorating our gardens with plantago erecta or other native plants that provide food and shelter for many native endangered species. By doing simple tasks, we can increase our sustainability and decrease our impact on the environment.
Kendall, Conservation Team
Week Two, Fall Session 2017 
