Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge Silverspot Recovery

USFWS Portland-based staff and partners from the Institute for Applied Ecology partnered with Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge to plant early blue violets and pearly everlasting flowers on the refuge's Cannery Hill unit. These flower are native to the refuge's coastal prairie habitat. The project is part of a joint effort to aid in the recovery of the Oregon silverspot butterfly, a Federally threatened species. SFWS biologist and Oregon silverspot butterfly expert, Anne Walker, demonstrates the way in which volunteers will need to plan early blue violet flowers in sections of 100 violet plugs. These "carpets" of clustered violets will help support Oregon silverspot butterflies during their larval stage.