Investigating the Relationship Between Showy Ladyslipper and European Skipper Butterflies

Wisconsin Wetlands Association Wetland Coffee Break livestream talk, on Zoom. RSVP for link.

media release:While working on wetland delineations, environmental scientist Matt Knickelbine has been observing instances of showy lady slipper (Cypripedium reginae) flowers being filled with dead European skipper butterflies (Thymelicus lineola). Showy lady slipper is an inhabitant of a variety of wetland types and is susceptible to many other stressors, including deer browse, habitat destruction, and changes to groundwater processes. European skipper butterflies were introduced to North America by accident in 1910 and require hayfields near nectar sources. Showy lady slipper is a species of special concern in Wisconsin, endangered in Illinois. It is protected by law as the State Flower of Minnesota. Learn about Matt’s observations, past accounts of this phenomenon that Matt discovered in the literature, and ideas for future research.

Matt Knickelbine is an environmental scientist at Stantec and a Wisconsin DNR Assured Wetland Delineator. He mostly works on wetland science and botany projects but also has experience in restoration ecology, wildlife surveys, and landscape-level ecology, to name a few.