Oiii Liviiif; Rcsinines — Imcrtehnitcs 



167 



not restricted In pitch-piiie barrens, but the 

 Albany pine barrens represents important iiabi- 

 tat at the extreme edges of their ranges. 



The species at the margins of their distribu- 

 tion in Albany have witnessed losses almost 

 equally di\ided between north and south, sug- 

 gesting that regular ""pulses"' of an insect 

 species' distribution account for more species 

 losses than can be attributed to the nearly seven- 

 fold loss of habitat. It therefore seems appropri- 

 ate to look closer at those species whose decline 

 is most relevant to habitat loss. 



The owlets Psectnighiea canwsa and 

 Chaetagkwa vcrata are usually found in coastal 

 heath habitats but have been recorded from 

 Albany. Chai'taglaea cenita is at precariously 

 low levels in Albany, and P. carnosa is now local- 

 ly extinct. Recent records of C. cerata and the 

 last reports of P. carnosa were from an area of the 

 pine ban-ens adjacent to the cunent landfill. 



Another once-common species in the pine 

 barrens is the owlet Homohadena badistriga. 

 but I have observed this moth only once during 

 the last 4 years (1989-93). Homohadena badi- 

 striga cateipillars show a marked preference for 

 the native shrub Lonicera dioica over all other 

 Lonicera in the area. This shrub species, which 

 appears to be a favorite browse of deer (person- 

 al observation), has become far less abundant in 

 the past 12 years (J. Mattox, Bard College, per- 

 sonal communication). None of 27 bushes of L. 

 dioica I had visited in 1982 exist today. 



The owlet Agroiis stigniosa. which favors 

 the periphery of open dunes, has a simpler story. 

 The two most substantial open dunes in the 

 Albany barrens have recently been developed, 

 and A. stigmosa has subsequently been rarely 

 encountered and may soon be lost. 



The Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides inelis- 

 sa samuelis), now listed as an endangered 

 species, has markedly declined in the Albany 

 barrens (Figure). This species appears to be a 

 barrens relict that has been losing ground over 

 all of the Northeast. Its larvae feed on Lupimis 

 perennis (lupine). Another lycaenid butterfly, 

 Inciscdia inis. also dependent on lupine, has 

 suffered a similar decline. The continued 

 decline of L. melissa samuelis on the Albany 

 pine plains (Figure) is illustrated by using both 

 recent data (Higgins et al. 1991; Meyer and 

 McCabe 1993) and earlier population estimates 

 of Cryan (1980) and Schweitzer ( 1988, 1990). 

 This downward trend continues even though 

 some sites now support more lupine than a 

 decade ago and appear to be well protected. 



Pine Barrens Management 



Native pine banens plants such as pitch 

 pines. New Jersey tea, and lupine are very diffi- 

 cult to establish successfully. Seedlings are 



shaded out by scrub oak. Young pitch pines are 

 heavily browsed by deer and severely attacked 

 by an introduced pine sawfly; younger plants 

 are completely defoliated. Lupines are devoured 

 by cottontail rabbits. Most characteristic pine 

 baiTcns plants require open, disturbed sites. 



Fire has been scientifically employed as a 

 management practice on the Albany barrens 

 only quite recently. Scrub oak successfully 

 regenerates after bums, as does the locust, 

 Robinia pseiidoacacia, a tree introduced from 

 the Southeast for fence posts. One of the pine 

 barrens rarities is Chytonix sensilis, a fungus- 

 feeding moth. The year after a burn, fire-black- 

 ened trunks support luxurious growths of this 

 fungus. Despite this, C. sensilis was most abun- 

 dant in 12-year-old bum sites where hardly any 

 fungus had been present. In areas unburned for 

 more than 30 years, only C. sensilis females 

 were collected. One 12-year-old site is the same 

 one that supports Chaetaglaea cerata and had 

 supported P. canwsa, suggesting that a bum 

 frequency of at least 12 years is best to promote 

 some of the choicest pine banens associates. I 

 trapped moths extensively in postburn sites of I , 

 5, 12, and 30 years of age. No site was available 

 with a postbum age between 12 and 30 years; 

 an optimal bum frequency will likely fall some- 

 where within this range. A frequent burn sched- 

 ule would be highly detrimental to insect 

 species very susceptible to fires, such as one of 

 the eltm butterflies, Incisalia henrici. 



Species on the periphery of their range may 

 not be reliable indicators of habitat quality. 

 Natural fluctuation in range limits appears more 

 significant than formerly considered. This can 

 be attested to by the extirpation of 3 1 , and the 

 addition of 32, moth species. The decline of 

 characteristic pine barrens species has to be 

 examined on a case-by-case basis. 



The Albany pine barrens has also been 

 adversely affected by vehicular traffic, wind- 

 breaks created by roads and buildings, develop- 

 ment of open dunes, introductions of exotic 

 species, and even the frequency of fires, which 

 promote some and compromise other pine barren 

 rarities. Cutting to create oak openings should be 

 considered as a management practice. In addi- 

 tion, open dunes may have to be artificially 

 maintained where artificial windbreaks interfere. 



References 



Cryan, J.F. 1980. Ttie Kamer blue butterfly (Lycaeides 

 inelissci scimKelis Nabokov) in the Hud.son Valley sand 

 belt of New York. Pan 2. An annotated list of Hudson 

 Valley sand belt populations and their status. A report for 

 the New York State Department of Environmental 

 Conservation. 



Higgins. L.E..T.L. McCabe.A. Meyer, and M. Rusch, IWI. 

 Albany pine bush preserve — 1991 entomological report. 

 Prepared for The Nature Conservancy and the City of 

 Albany, NY. 



Figure. Decline of the Karner 

 blue buttertly at Willow Avenue 

 site in Albany (McCabe et 

 al.l993). 



