Emily Bradford’s thesis maps areas where the endangered and endemic Island Marble butterfly could thrive outside of its tiny current habitat on San Juan Island . Read the article here:
https://news.wwu.edu/wwu-environmental-studies-grad-student-models-potential-habitat-for-highly-endangered-local

Grad Student Needs Your Help!

Hello, my name is Taylor Hatcher, and I am a PhD student at the University of Washington Seattle. My thesis focuses on the Sachem skipper (Atalopedes campestris), building on Lisa Crozier’s early 2000’s Washington work on the species to assess cold tolerance and the mechanisms by which the butterflies have expanded their range since the original study.
I plan to be conducting this research over the summers for the next few years in Richland, Yakima, Ellensburg, and the Tri-Cities. I will be monitoring first flight timing and measuring development time, body size, and survival at multiple sites in each location. I am still zeroing in on sites and trying to get a sense of where skippers are abundant.
If you are out and about in these areas and happen to see Sachem skippers, I would love to hear about your observations– early sight-ings are particularly valuable as I work to catch the first generation. I am also looking for anyone interested in assisting me directly with the project (i.e., catching butterflies, checking field sites, or provid-ing your yard for overwintering experiments).
If you have any questions, or are interested in helping, please feel free to contact WBA at wabutterflyassoc@gmail.com (and we will forward to Taylor). I look forward to hearing from you!

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