Reconstructing prairie habitat is one of the most promising techniques for conserving the imperiled prairie ecosystem and its associated organisms. However, the degree to which reconstructed prairies function like remnant prairies has not been fully determined. Here, we examine butterflies as possible indicators of a reconstructed prairie's similarity to remnant prairies in the same areas. Butterflies are closely associated with the plant community and many prairie endemic butterfly species are declining with the loss and degradation of prairie. We found that at the community-level, adult butterflies in central Iowa were only limited indicators of reconstruction vegetative quality (similarity to remnants). This result is attributed to the high level of mobility of adult butterflies and the pre-emptive loss of many of the habitat-sensitive butterflies from the small highly degraded prairies of central Iowa. Our efforts to reintroduce declining prairie endemic Speyeria idalia (Regal Fritillary) to a large-scale prairie reconstruction have produced preliminary results that suggest that reconstructed prairie may provide adequate habitat for short-term (one season) occupancy. Whether these reconstructed ecosystems are capable of supporting viable reproduction populations in the long-term will be determined in the future. It is concluded that reconstructed prairie, while not providing the same quality of butterfly habitat as remnants prairie, they are serving as adequate refuges for the butterfly community as a whole and for some prairie endemic butterfly species.

The consequences of habitat fragmentation on communities have been extensively studied. However, few studies on habitat fragmentation have addressed the role landscape context plays in determining local species assemblages. Our study examines how landscape composition at the regional scale effects prairie butterfly communities in 24 Midwest native tallgrass prairie remnants located in four distinct geographical regions. These regions differed in their degree of historical habitat heterogeneity and their current predominant land use (matrix habitat). The current land use categories, or matrix type, included: row crop agriculture, pasture for cattle grazing, woodland, and urban development. Historically, the regions varied from continuous tallgrass prairie ecosystem to the historically isolated and smaller 'goat prairies' located within the Driftless area in Northeast Iowa and Southwest Wisconsin. Area accounted for a significant amount of the variation in species richness only in the two historically fragmented regions.

We examined the abundances of common, open area butterflies and the species richness of grassland specialists in three types of roadsides: grassy, weedy, and restored to prairie. We also considered how distance from a source prairie affected patterns. Two common butterflies, D. plexippus and Everes comyntas showed a significant relationship with roadside type, but not distance. There were no significant associations between grassland species richness and any factor we measured. More intensive sampling may be necessary, though, to detect an effect.

The fragmented Midwestern U.S.A landscape creates prairie remnants embedded in an agricultural matrix, potentially impermeable to dispersing individuals. Conservationists are recognizing the importance of protecting tallgrass prairie along railways because these remnants represent a significant amount of unplowed prairie. These small but relatively common remnants are important from the perspective of right-of-way management and aesthetic beauty, but may also help insure a sustainable future for native species by providing important floral and larval resources for pollinators. We sampled butterflies in 2003 and 2004 at prairie remnants to examine the differences in species composition between linear and block (e.g. prairie preserves) habitats. We used a multiscale approach to determine local and landscape factors on butterfly diversity and community composition. Contrary to our hypothesis, results indicate that linear habitats have a greater total number of species and total number of disturbance-tolerant species than block habitats. Linear and block habitats do not significantly differ in the abundance of habitat-sensitive butterfly species. Correspondence analysis, which examines community composition, clearly separates linear from block habitats. Results from partial least squares regression suggest there are indeed effects of the landscape on butterflies at all scales investigated (local; 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 km). Litter was the local variable most highly correlated with butterfly abundance while roads in the landscape were highly correlated with abundance. Variance partitioning using partial canonical correspondence analysis indicated that landscape variables add additional explanatory power beyond local variables. From this we conclude that although linear habitats harbor a different assemblage of butterflies than block habitats, linear habitats provide important habitat for habitat-sensitive species in Iowa. Understanding landscape scale patterns and processes may enhance our knowledge of butterfly diversity on prairie fragments in the Midwest, USA.

Small remnants of 'natural' habitats exist today throughout much of the world. Upland prairies in the Willamette Valley, Oregon have been nearly eliminated by conversion to agriculture and other uses. As a result, very few prairies remain and at least four butterfly species that require this habitat appear to be locally uncommon. To better understand requirements for conservation and management of upland prairies and the species that depend on them, I investigated plant abundance and species richness, butterfly abundance and species richness, and prairie integrity on 17 prairie remnants. To evaluate the relationship between prairie integrity and butterfly community composition, integrity was defined by abundance and species richness of native, prairie plant species. Because little is known about the habitat requirements of prairie-dwelling organisms, I also investigated juvenile and adult food resource use and spatial patterns associated with resource use by four locally uncommon butterfly species: common checkered-skipper, Fender's blue, Anise swallowtail, and field crescent. Plant species used and not used for nectaring and oviposition and spatial relationships between the two were explored for each butterfly species. My study provides evidence that remnants, including small, degraded sites, serve as refuges for locally uncommon butterfly species. The greatest mean number of butterfly species was detected on sites of high integrity, but total butterfly abundance at all but one unique site was similar to that of low and medium integrity sites. Butterfly species richness appeared to be positively associated with remnant integrity while factors other than remnant integrity as defined here may be influential on butterfly abundance. Furthermore, I suggest that the locally uncommon butterflies studied here have specific habitat requirements and this likely contributed to their sparse distribution. Although host plant abundance did not appear to limit butterfly distributions within either site, I lacked sufficient sample sizes necessary to make strong inferences. Factors other than, or in combination, with host plant occurrence, such as presence of Composite nectar species and native plant abundance, may be important in determining their distribution within a site. Lack of large areas of habitat and incidence of uncommon species on remnants makes it imperative that we conserve biodiversity by the maintenance, improvement, and protection of some very small areas.