Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Eve, the first Fender's blue butterfly spotted on the Van Duzer property in 2014 Nate Richardson, Courtesy of Van Duzer Vineyards In 2000, a remarkable discovery was made in a refuge area near Corvallis, Oregon: the sighting of the Fender's blue butterfly ( Icaricia icarioides fenderi ), a species thought to be extinct. This discovery prompted research and conservation initiatives aimed at protecting and revitalizing the butterfly's limited habitat. The butterfly's flight pattern is restricted to a very short window, making it difficult to locate.
However, in 2001, the butterfly was also found in the Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge , just across the road from Willament Valley winery Van Duzer Vineyards . This sighting encouraged the winery to team up with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service and local conservationists to aid the recovery of the rare Fender’s blue butterfly and bring it back from the brink of extinction. The conservation efforts In the early 2000s, the Oregon chapter of the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a federal grant to work with farmers and landowners to create and reclaim habitats for the butterfly. This initiative was essential because the butterfly relies on a specific local plant—the spur lupine—to lay its eggs. The larvae feed on this plant, making it crucial for the butterfly's life cycle.
Originally rich with prairies, the Willamette Valley has undergone significant changes du.