Missouri Natural Areas Newsletter 2015, Volume 15, Number 1

2015·2.3 MB·English

by  Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri Natural Areas Committee

NaMtISuSOrURaI l Areas2015
Volume 15, Number 1
N E W S L E T T E R
“…identifying, designating, managing and restoring the best remaining examples of natural communities
and geological sites encompassing the full spectrum of Missouri’s natural heritage”
Missouri, but not overwhelming to someone with-
Editor’s Note
out academic training in entomology. I wanted to
Missouri’s Insect Diversity
know about the leafhoppers in my yard, about all
the different sweat bees that visit my bright yellow
Several years ago, in the spring following a cup plant flowers in August, and the cicadas and
December prescribed fire event in my urban katydids whose choruses I hear around my bun-
woods, we discovered a motley assortment of galow in summer months. I recall Ted’s response,
highly charismatic leafhoppers that we wanted to always professional and friendly, and it was volu-
identify. Rather than visiting random internet sites minous. According to The Terrestrial Natural Com-
of questionable scholarship and accuracy, I asked munities of Missouri (Nelson, 2010), in 2000, 87,107
esteemed entomologist and tiger beetle expert Ted native species and subspecies of insects existed in
MacRae for a field guide for insects appropriate for Missouri. Asking an expert in this highly special-
Pink-striped oakworm moths in the Elk River Breaks Woodland Natural Area. The caterpillars of this moth feed on oaks (Quercus spp.),
the dominant canopy tree in the natural area at Big Sugar Creek State Park. While some consider this species a forest pest, it has been
well-documented that oak-specific caterpillars provide an important food source for breeding songbirds.
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Vol. 15, No. 1, 2015 • Missouri Natural Areas Newsletter 1
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Even in an urban setting, charismatic insects such as this candy-striped leafhopper (Graphocephala coccinea) can persist in a dense thicket
of cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum).
ized field for a basic pictorial guide to insects was Much has been written in recent months about
probably a bit naïve on my part. But Ted deliv- the importance of pollinators on the landscape,
ered with a reference to Eric R. Eaton and Kenn fueling an interest in creating pollinator habitats
Kaufman’s Field Guide to Insects of North America, through gardening. The mission of the Missouri
a wonderful and user-friendly identification book Natural Areas Program involves the recognition
for the general user such as myself. I am not an and preservation of our state’s best remaining
entomologist by any stretch, but I have an interest examples of natural communities with all facets of
in our state’s rich insect diversity, and the role of a biodiversity represented. While pollinator gardens
biodiverse insect population in all of the systematic have been proven to provide nectar and nesting
ecological functioning of our native landscapes. sites for suites of pollinating insects, it would be
Missouri is fortunately home to a range of experts remiss to disregard the role of Missouri’s intact na-
in ants, bees, tiger beetles, dragonflies and damsel- tive landscapes, especially our designated natural
flies, katydids and the myriad of other insects that areas, in the protection and sustainability of insect
inhabit our natural landscapes. For the 2015 issue diversity. The historic natural setting throughout
of the Missouri Natural Areas Newsletter, we have much of the state, a landscape that existed before
invited several leaders in the field of entomology to the age of extraction began, included thousands
discuss their areas of interest and research, and to of acres of a grass-forb matrix that hosted not just
share their thoughts on specialized biota and insect monarch butterflies but an entire suite of insects
diversity in Missouri. This is a large topic to cover, and other biota that have been largely extirpated,
and I recognize that we have only scratched the barring populations that persist in remnants of
proverbial surface of knowledge in Missouri. high quality landscapes today. The restoration of
2 Missouri Natural Areas Newsletter • Vol. 15, No. 1, 2015
natural landscapes with a heterogeneous NATURAL AREAS FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE
mix of native flora should be tantamount
in conservation planning for pollinating in-
Star School Hill Prairie
sects, but restoration methods must be carefully
Brickyard Hill Loess Mound
implemented. Our highly fragmented, disturbed,
McCormack Loess Mounds
and out-of-context landscapes may harbor some Meramec Mosaic
of the last remaining populations of rare species, Johnson's Shut-Ins Fen
both plant and animal. St. Francois Mountains
With the 2005 publication of Paul Nelson’s The Grasshopper Hollow
Terrestrial Natural Communities of Missouri, the Mis- Mingo
souri Natural Areas Committee endorsed the use
of carefully applied prescribed fire for the restora-
CONTENTS
tion and maintenance of Missouri’s fire-mediated
The Role of Missouri’s Natural Areas and Other
systems. Since that time, fire management has
Conservation Lands in Preserving Tiger Beetle Diversity
been used on a larger, landscape-sized scale, invit- Ted C. MacRae .................................................................4
ing a series of questions and concern regarding the Contributions of Designated Natural Areas to Recovery
Efforts of Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly in Missouri
sustainability of relictual populations of insects
Dr. Paul M. McKenzie........................................................8
and other biota. Without fire, the landscape will
Searching for Potential Prairie Orchid Pollinators
no longer provide the necessary facets for the sus-
Dr. David Ashley .................................................................12
tainability of a given species, but with improperly Native Bees of Meramec Mosaic Natural Area
applied fire, the very disturbance that certain in- Dr. Alexandra Harmon-Threatt. ..........................................16
Ant Diversity in Fire-mediated Systems in the Ozarks
sects depend on may be the cause of their demise
Lizzie W. Wright ..............................................................20
or, worse, extirpation. Emulating natural distur-
Butterfly Species as Habitat Indicators
bance processes on a landscape scale will naturally
Brett Budach ...................................................................24
allow for refugia, if the process is properly imple- St. Francois Mountains Natural Area Highlights
mented. This issue of the Missouri Natural Areas Ron Colatskie ..................................................................27
Mingo Natural Area
Newsletter highlights research on native bees, rare
Ben Mense .......................................................................31
orchid pollinators, and other insects that serve as
2014–2015 Calendar of Events ............................................32
lynchpins for functioning ecosystem health. Con-
tact the authors of the respective articles for more The Missouri Natural Areas Newsletter is an annual journal
published by the Missouri Natural Areas Committee, whose
information and to continue the dialogue.
mission is identifying, designating, managing and restoring the
— Allison J. Vaughn, editor best remaining examples of natural communities and geological
sites encompassing the full spectrum of Missouri’s natural heritage.
Allison Vaughn is the Ozark District Natural Resource Steward with The Missouri Natural Areas Committee consists of the Missouri
the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Department of Natural Resources, the Missouri Department of
Conservation, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Contact: [email protected]
Service, the National Park Service and the Nature Conservancy.
Ø To receive notification when new issues of the
Missouri Natural Areas Newsletter are posted,
e-mail [email protected]. This list-serve
is only used to notify people of the link to the
current natural areas newsletter web posting.
Vol. 15, No. 1, 2015 • Missouri Natural Areas Newsletter 3
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Saline Springs Tiger Beetle (Habroscelimorpha circumpicta johnsonii)
The Role of Missouri’s Natural Areas and
Other Conservation Lands in Preserving
Tiger Beetle Diversity
By Ted C. MacRae slightest movement, long thin legs for running
down prey, and large, toothy jaws for grabbing and
W hen Missourians think about wild- promptly dispatching their hapless victims. While
life diversity, usually the state’s 800+ representing only a tiny fraction of the total insect
species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, fauna in Missouri, the 24 species of tiger beetle
birds, and mammals come to mind. In reality, the that live in the state still represent a level of diver-
diversity title belongs to the perhaps 25,000 spe- sity worthy of study and protection.
cies of insects that share habitats with vertebrates, Tiger beetles frequently live in disturbed habi-
ranging from the microscopic (springtails) to the tats with sparse vegetation, such as sandbars and
annoying (mosquitoes) to the revered (monarch erosion cuts, as well as along muddy banks, on
butterfly). Among the most charismatic insects in glades and in forest litter. European settlement
Missouri are the tiger beetles, predaceous insects resulted in drastic alterations in the abundance
that favor open ground in a variety of lowland and distribution of these habitats, and tiger beetle
and upland habitats. Like their big cat namesakes, populations have been affected as a result. Dredg-
tiger beetles have huge eyes that can detect the ing and straightening of streams and rivers, fire
4 Missouri Natural Areas Newsletter • Vol. 15, No. 1, 2015
Rae suppression, and grazing have all impacted species
Mac that live in the habitats these activities have af-
C.
Ted fected. Some anthropogenic changes have actually
by
os benefited certain species—e.g., road, borrow sand
ot
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P pit and pond construction that create habitat for
species favoring exposed clay and sand or water’s
edge. Common species in Missouri include Cicin-
dela sexguttata (Six-spotted Tiger Beetle) on wood-
land trails, Cicindela repanda (Bronze Tiger Beetle)
Six-spotted Tiger Beetle (Cicindela sexguttata)
along the state’s water courses, and Cicindela
punctulata (Punctured Tiger Beetle) in a variety of
open, upland habitats. Most species, however, have
more specific requirements, and while the status
of many species is secure, a few are rare or highly
localized and, thus, warrant protection.
Among the rarest is Cylindera celeripes (Swift
Tiger Beetle). These tiny, flightless beetles are re-
stricted to the eastern/central Great Plains, where
they mimic small ants or spiders as they dart
amongst openings between clumps of grass in
search of prey. The species lives almost exclusively
Bronze Tiger Beetle (Cicindela repanda) in upland prairies and grasslands with clay/loess
soils and sparse vegetation, and populations have
declined dramatically over the past century due
to conversion and other alterations of preferred
habitat. The beetle was not even known in Mis-
souri until 2009 when Christopher Brown and
I discovered it in loess hilltop prairie remnants
at Brickyard Hill, Star School Hill Prairie, and
McCormack Loess Mounds Natural Areas—the
largest and highest quality examples of this criti-
cally imperiled natural community remaining in
Missouri. We have searched unsuccessfully for the
Swift Tiger Beetle (Cylindera celeripes)
beetle in other loess hilltop prairie remnants in
the area, none of which have the size and qual-
ity that the above mentioned sites possess. This
suggests that the beetle is sensitive to habitat
alteration/reduction and emphasizes the need to
design and implement land management practices
at sites known to support populations to reduce
the chance of localized extinction. Such measures
include the use of disturbance factors that fa-
vor grasslands over forests, including removal of
encroaching woody vegetation, judicious use of
Punctured Tiger Beetle (Cicindela punctulata)
Vol. 15, No. 1, 2015 • Missouri Natural Areas Newsletter 5
prescribed burning, and/or selective grazing. It is and surrounding areas; however, they are disjunct
essential that these measures be implemented in a and separated by woodlands that the flight-
manner that minimizes impacts to beetle popula- less beetles cannot traverse or have been recently
tions—e.g., prescribed burning should be done on altered by road construction, The nearest known
a rotational basis and when adults and larvae are population lies 75 miles further west (in Olathe,
not active (late fall through early spring), perhaps Kansas), preventing genetic exchange with the
also establishing permanently unburned refugia main population and increasing the likelihood of
where alternative disturbance factors are used to loss of genetic diversity in Missouri’s small, iso-
maintain open ground and limit encroachment. lated population. Because of this, it is critical that
In addition, potentially suitable areas adjacent to efforts be made to increase the size of the popula-
known sites should be renovated to expand poten- tion through creation of additional habitat to en-
tial habitat and minimize isolation distances. sure viability of the population. Much of the park
An even rarer species is Dromochorus pruinina and surrounding environs are heavily forested and,
(Loamy-ground Tiger Beetle), a grassland special- thus, do not provide suitable habitat for the beetle.
ist normally found in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Prescribed burning has been implemented within
Texas. Known historically from a small series of portions of the park in recent years to restore the
museum specimens collected in Johnson Co., an grasslands and open woodlands thought to be
extant population was located in 2005 in Knob prevalent prior to European settlement. However,
Noster State Park. Intensive surveys of suitable the beetle has not been found in these restored
habitat throughout west-central Missouri con- grasslands, most likely due to the high vegetation-
cluded that the beetle is restricted to exposed al density and closed structure they exhibit rather
red clay embankments along a 2.5-mile stretch of than the patchwork of barren slopes that the
just a single road in the park. Apparently suitable beetle prefers. Thus, land management practices
eroded clay roadsides exist elsewhere in the park should be modified to create and maintain more
Loamy-ground Tiger Beetle (Dromochorus pruinina)
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6 Missouri Natural Areas Newsletter • Vol. 15, No. 1, 2015
open clay exposures within restored grasslands particular seep during the third year of the study
adjacent to the roadside embankments where the and subsequent years induced complete vegeta-
beetle occurs and also convert additional adjacent tional encroachment of the site. No beetles have
forests/woodlands to more open grasslands. been observed at Boone’s Lick or Blue Lick in the
Our most beautiful tiger beetle may have al- years following the survey, and the likelihood of
ready been lost. Habroscelimorpha circumpicta john-
finding additional seeps capable of supporting the
sonii (Saline Springs Tiger Beetle) lives on barren
beetle seems very low. We conclude that Missouri’s
soil near saline seeps in the central and south-
distinctive population of this beetle has declined
central Great Plains. In Missouri, a highly disjunct
below detectable limits and may have already been
population of the beetle occurred historically in
extirpated. The loss of this beetle from Missouri’s
central Missouri’s saline seep habitats—a criti-
fauna would represent a significant blow to our
cally imperiled natural community that has been
state’s natural heritage, and it is imperative that
degraded significantly during the past century by
any remaining saline seeps in central Missouri be
altered hydrology, cattle trampling, invasive exot-
protected and renovated if the beetle is to have any
ics, and other disturbances. While the beetles were
chance of surviving in the state. We have urged
abundant in past years, particularly at Boone’s Lick
the Missouri Department of Conservation, the
State Historic Site, populations have declined dra-
Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and
matically more recently as the sites suffered veg-
other conservation organizations within the state
etational encroachment. Prompted by this appar-
ent decline, we conducted a survey of known and to identify and allocate the resources needed to
potential saline seep habitats in central Missouri develop and implement a recovery plan for the spe-
during 2001–2003, finding only a single beetle at cies in Missouri.
Boone’s Lick and a small population (less than two
Ted C. MacRae is a senior research entomologist and science fellow at
dozen individuals) at Blue Lick Conservation Area.
Monsanto Company working on alternatives to insecticides for control
Three apparently suitable saline seeps exist at the of soybean pests. He is also an ardent natural historian and beetle
taxonomist and has conducted numerous studies documenting the
latter site, but adults and larvae were only observed
diversity and conservation status of Missouri’s beetle fauna.
at one of them, and prolonged flooding of this Contact: [email protected]
2016 Missouri Natural Resources Conference
February 3–5, 2016 • Osage Beach, Missouri • www.MNRC.org
Vol. 15, No. 1, 2015 • Missouri Natural Areas Newsletter 7
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A male Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana) displaying identifying paint marks on wings.
Contributions of Designated Natural Areas
to Recovery Efforts of Hine’s Emerald
Dragonfly in Missouri
By Dr. Paul M. McKenzie Extant populations of S. hineana are known
from Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin
H ine’s Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlora
in the United States (Cashatt and Vogt 2001, U.S.
hineana) (HED) is a rare dragonfly in
Fish and Wildlife Service 2001, Landwer and Vogt
the United States and Ontario, Canada.
2002, Vogt 2005) and from a single site in Ontario
The species was federally listed as an endangered
(Pulfer 2013). Historically, this species was reported
species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
from Alabama, Indiana, and Ohio but is now
of 1973 on January 26, 1995 (U.S. Fish and Wildlife
considered extirpated from those states (Vogt and
Service 1995). In Ontario, it is protected under the
Cashatt 1994, Cashatt and Vogt 2001, U.S. Fish
Ontario Endangered Species Act of 2007 and the
and Wildlife Service 2001, 2013).
Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk in
Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly is restricted to high
Canada (Pulfer et al. 2013). The species is consid-
quality fens and calcareous wetlands character-
ered one the most endangered dragonflies in the
ized by shallow bedrock and seepage flow of
United States (Bick 1983, Cashatt 1991). Given the
ground water that support a diversity of gramin-
currently known restricted range in Ontario, the
species is also undoubtedly critically imperiled oid vegetation and forbs. An abundance of cray-
there as well. The species was given protection fish burrows are necessary to provide habitat for
under the ESA because of its narrow ecological larval development (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
requirements (especially of the larvae), its restrict- 1995, 2001; Vogt and Cashatt 1994).The initial
ed geographic range, and the vulnerability of its discovery of this species in Missouri was made
habitat to degradation and destruction (Pulfer et by Linden Trial in 1999 at Grasshopper Hollow
al. 2013; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1995, 2001). Natural Area, Reynolds County (U.S. Fish and
8 Missouri Natural Areas Newsletter • Vol. 15, No. 1, 2015
Wildlife Service 2001, 2013). Extensive searches Ins Fen NA, and Overcup Fen NA. Due to their
for this species were conducted between 2001 and smaller size, some odonatologists predicted that
2014 in Missouri and consisted of a combination population levels at Missouri fens would be less
of adult and larval surveys (Day 2007, 2008, 2009, genetically diverse and support smaller popula-
2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014; Landwer 2003; Landwer tions. Between 2001 and 2010, samples of HED
and Vogt 2002; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were taken from sites throughout the state and
2013; Vogt 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006; Walker and compared genetically to material collected in other
Smentowski 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, states. In 2013, we initiated mark and recapture
2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014). Currently studies using non-toxic paint following Mier-
HED is extant at 20 sites scattered in Dent, Iron, zwa (1995) at Kay Branch Fen in Reynolds Co. to
Phelps, Reynolds, and Ripley counties (Walker and investigate densities in Missouri sites. Preliminary
Smentowski 2014) and all are within the Ozark mark and recapture results indicate that HED
Highlands Ecological Section of Missouri (Nigh populations at Missouri sites are robust and at
and Schroeder 2002; Nelson 2005). The natural higher densities than initially predicted despite
community structure of all HED sites in Missouri their smaller size. In 2013, 331 HED were marked
are Ozark fens with the exception of one that in- and released at Kay Branch Fen. Based on the
cludes a spring fed marsh and adjacent calcareous number of single observations of marked individu-
sedge meadow. Missouri HED sites vary in size als, a preliminary analysis suggests an estimate of
from less than 1 acre to approximately 80 acres over 1,000 individuals (Walker and Smentowski
and are generally smaller than fen habitats in Il- 2013, 2014).
linois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Hine’s Emerald In 2014, we conducted the second mark and
Dragonfly has two primary areas of distribution recapture study at Onoclea Fen at Johnson Shut-
in Missouri’s Ozarks: 1) sixteen sites that include Ins State Park. This fen is adjacent to Johnson’s
Dent, Iron, Phelps and Reynolds counties and 2) Shut-Ins Fen NA that was impacted by the reser-
four sites in Ripley County. voir breach of the Ameren UE dam; this fen likely
Of the 20 sites in Missouri where HED has shared the same HED individuals as the Onoclea
been confirmed, three sites are designated natural Fen located across the road. The effort at Onoclea
areas: Grasshopper Hollow NA, Johnson Shut- Fen resulted in the marking and release of 111
Grasshopper Hollow Natural Area in Reynolds County.
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Vol. 15, No. 1, 2015 • Missouri Natural Areas Newsletter 9
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Jane Walker and Joe Smentowski at marking station in Onoclea Male HED being processed with wing paint.
Fen, Johnson Shut-ins State Park.
individuals and 154 subsequent single observa- Co. HED sites support a unique genetic haplotype
tions or recaptures of marked HED. The prelimi- which is shared among localities in this county. As
nary estimate at this site is 206 individuals (Day with Grasshopper Hollow NA and Barton Fen, the
2014; Walker and Smentowski 2014), and although sharing of genetic haplotypes in Ripley Co. pro-
smaller than the population at Kay Branch Fen, vides additional insight into dispersal and move-
the results suggest that HED populations in Mis- ment patterns of HED in the state (Meredith Ma-
souri are several magnitudes higher than previ-
honey, pers. comm. June 2015; unpublished data).
ously postulated.
Additional mark/recapture studies of HED
Genetic analyses of HED material from Mis-
are planned at other sites in Missouri, including
souri and elsewhere conducted by Dr. Meredith
Grasshopper Hollow NA. The continued assess-
Mahoney of the Illinois State Museum has yielded
ment of population estimates, dispersal patterns,
some exciting trends regarding the genetic di-
and movement of HED in Missouri will help
versity across the range of the species as well as
direct management recommendations in the
insights into movements and/or dispersal of this
future to ensure the persistence of this species in
dragonfly in Missouri. Dr. Mahoney has docu-
the state. Initial population estimates and genetic
mented that Missouri has the highest genetic
results suggest that Missouri’s designated natu-
diversity of any state within the range of the spe-
ral areas will continue to contribute towards the
cies (pers. comm. June 2015: unpublished data). To
recovery of HED in Missouri.
date, she has documented 10 unique haplotypes
scattered across the species’ five-county range in
Dr. Paul M. McKenzie is the Endangered Species Coordinator for the
Missouri. Of these, Grasshopper Hollow NA in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Columbia.
Reynolds Co. and Barton Fen in Iron Co. share Contact: [email protected]
two haplotypes found nowhere else within the References:
range of HED. These sites are approximately 15 air Cashatt, Everett D., and Timothy E. Vogt. 1996. Population and
habitat monitoring of Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana
miles from one another and her data documents
Williamson) in northeastern Illinois in 1995. Unpublished report to the
genetic connectivity between these sites sometime U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 77 pp.
in the recent past (Meredith Mahoney, pers. comm. Day, R. 2007. Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana) in
Missouri — 2007. Unpublished report to the Missouri Department of
June 2015: unpublished data). Although we have
Conservation. 39pp.
not conducted a similar population estimate sur-
Day, R. 2008. Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana) in
vey at Grasshopper Hollow NA, it is projected that Missouri — 2008. Unpublished report to the Missouri Department of
Conservation. 47pp.
the number will be high given its size and native
Day, R. 2009. Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana) in
integrity related to other HED fens in Missouri.
Missouri — 2009. Unpublished report to the Missouri Department of
Mahoney has also determined that the Ripley Conservation. 49pp.
10 Missouri Natural Areas Newsletter • Vol. 15, No. 1, 2015