The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden’s Postdoctoral Fellow in Conservation and Science, Dr. Emily Geest, led a study published in the Journal of Insect Conservation and Diversity, a scientific journal for insect research, about the temporal effects of fire on the tallgrass prairie butterfly community. Tallgrass prairie is one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world with only an estimated one percent remaining in the world.
Patch-burn grazing is a management method used to help maintain habitat in the remaining tallgrass prairie. Patchburn grazing uses cattle’s natural affinity for fresh grass after fire to create a patchy habitat. However, the temporal effects of fire on the butterfly community are not well understood. To help address this knowledge gap, Dr. Geest along with collaborators from Oklahoma State University conducted a study at The Nature Conservancy’s Joseph H. Williams’ Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Pawhuska, Okla., investigating how time since fire and season of fire impacts butterflies.
Researchers looked at sites that had undergone recent burns (2 years since fire) as well as sites burned in the spring and in the summer. Researchers found that species such as the monarch butterfly, Arogos skipper, and common wood-nymph may benefit from fire every one-to-two years, while other species such as the Reakirt’s blue may need longer times between fire treatments. Season of burn is also important as summer burned sites had higher butterfly species diversity than spring burned sites. Overall, researchers concluded that patch-burn grazing can be beneficial to the overall butterfly community by creating patchy habitats that support multiple species at a time compared to the use of a single fire treatment that benefits a few select species.
The Zoo is committed to taking action for monarch conservation and creating habitat space for pollinators. Monarch butterflies are an imperiled species in need of our help. Over the last 20 years, monarch populations have decreased by about 90 percent. In 2014, monarchs were petitioned to be listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature classified the migratory monarch population as endangered in 2022. Monarchs face a number of threats to their populations including habitat loss and the use of pesticides.
These butterflies are the first insect to have an Association of Zoos and Aquariums SAFE: Saving Animals from Extinction program and the Zoo’s senior director of conservation, education, and science serves on the steering committee for the SAFE: North American monarch program. One way the Zoo is helping monarch populations is by creating a habitat for pollinators throughout the park and in partnership with schools. The Zoo’s pollinator garden is a registered Monarch Waystation that provides resources for monarchs and other pollinators. The Zoo also provides grants to local schools to create pollinator gardens at the schools, which are used as living classrooms to connect students with nature.
