Xxxxx'x Blue Butterfly. The Xxxxx'x blue butterfly is known to occur at the Enrolled Property. Because of the difficulty in detecting the actual number of Xxxxx'x blue butterflies in each life stage, the Parties have agreed to set the Baseline for the Xxxxx'x blue butterfly at the Enrolled Property as the current area of suitable habitat for Xxxxx'x blue butterfly. The area of suitable habitat for Xxxxx'x blue butterfly at the Enrolled Property coincides with the area that contains seacliff buckwheat and coast buckwheat, its host plants. This area of suitable habitat is occupied by the Xxxxx'x blue butterfly and contains several thousand individual host plants distributed in various densities up to 80 percent or more through the area of suitable habitat. The Baseline area for the Xxxxx'x blue butterfly at the Enrolled Property is 204 acres.
Xxxxx'x Blue Butterfly. Habitat for the Xxxxx'x blue butterfly is described in the Xxxxx'x Blue Butterfly Recovery Plan (Service 1984) and the Xxxxx'x blue butterfly 5-year review (Service 2006). The occurrence of the Xxxxx’x blue butterfly is dependent upon either one of its host plant species, seacliff buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium) or coast buckwheat (E. latifolium). Seacliff buckwheat seedlings in grassland, scrub, and chaparral habitats depend upon disturbances, such as fire and erosion, for the development of conditions favorable for germination and establishment. The quality of habitat can change quickly due to natural successional processes and non-native plants. The Xxxxx'x blue butterfly co-occurs with at least one of its two known host plants in coastal grassland, coastal dune, cliff-side chaparral, and coastal scrub habitats from the mouth of the Xxxxxxx River in Monterey County to San Carpoforo Creek in northern San Xxxx Obispo County. Xxxxx'x blue butterflies require their host buckwheat plants for all life stages. Adults feed on the nectar and deposit eggs on the flowers. Larvae feed on the flowers and seeds and pupate on or beneath the plants. Pupae morph into adults for a single flight season from mid-June to early September, in synchrony with the peak flowering period of their host buckwheat plants. Eggs are oviposited in flower heads and larvae hatch in 4 to 8 days, transforming into pupae from mid- August to early September, and overwintering as pupae until emerging as adults for the next flight season. Individuals in all life stages of the Xxxxx'x blue butterfly are difficult to detect because of their small size and cryptic nature, especially those in the non-adult stages.
Xxxxx'x Blue Butterfly. The Xxxxx'x blue butterfly is known to occur at the Enrolled Property. Because of the difficulty in detecting the actual number of Xxxxx'x blue butterflies in each life stage, the Parties have agreed to set the Baseline for the Xxxxx'x blue butterfly at the Enrolled Property as the current area of suitable habitat for Xxxxx'x blue butterfly. The area of suitable habitat for Xxxxx'x blue butterfly at the Enrolled Property coincides with the area that contains seacliff buckwheat, its host plant. This area of suitable habitat is based on observations of seacliff buckwheat from field surveys, sampling, and aerial photo interpretation. Field surveys and aerial mapping were more comprehensive west of Highway 1 and along the greater Xxxxxxxxx and Rocky Ridge areas (west of Highway 1) where buckwheat plants were easily detectable. Aerial photo signatures were used to determine the presence of suitable scrub habitat in the northern and southeastern portions of the park where there was no trail access. There is no reliable estimate of the total number of seacliff buckwheat plants occurring within the entire Enrolled Property. The average density of seacliff buckwheat along the trails that were sampled is 8 plants per 1,000 square feet. Some trail subsections were found to support higher densities of seacliff buckwheat up to a high of 21 plants per 1,000 square feet, and some areas were lower at 1 plant per 1,000 square feet. The Baseline area for the Xxxxx'x blue butterfly at the Enrolled Property is represented by the extent of seacliff buckwheat, its host plant, within the Park. The area in which seacliff buckwheat occurs at varying densities encompasses 1,453.58 acres (see Figure 3). Therefore, the Baseline area for the Xxxxx'x blue butterfly at the Enrolled Property is the 1,453.58-acre area that is occupied by various densities of seacliff buckwheat. The Xxxxx'x blue butterfly Baseline area is based on field observations of seacliff buckwheat adjacent to trails, observations of seacliff buckwheat in other accessible areas, aerial photo interpretation of scrub, evaluation of slope and aspect, and a review of soil maps. In portions of the Park that are less accessible (i.e., areas of the Park without trails or roads) the baseline area is derived from the combined presence of coastal scrub or grassland (based on aerial photo interpretation), suitable soil types for the growth of seacliff buckwheat (based on the species presence on soil types elsewhere within the E...
