McCarthy, A. 2025. Prairie strips within cropland are refuges, not traps, for butterflies. Thesis, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.

Small patch restoration of prairie habitat in crop fields provides disproportionate benefits to natural resource conservation and biodiversity. However, creating habitat in close proximity to intensively managed crops could result in highly attractive habitat that puts species at risk of lower fitness. I tested the ecological trap potential of prairie plantings in crop fields by comparing butterfly habitat preference and fitness in agriculturally embedded prairie strips, conventionally managed crop field margins, and reference prairie habitat. I found that butterflies were attracted to prairie strips, with over 90% more eggs laid on sentinel plants in prairie strips than in conventional crop field margins or reference prairie. In addition, the predation of butterfly eggs was significantly lower in prairie strips than in reference prairie. Butterflies reared in prairie strips had 5% smaller wing lengths, but adult female egg load did not differ between treatments. Overall, prairie strips are a habitat refuge for butterflies in intensively managed agricultural landscapes, rather than ecological traps.

Associated Treatment Areas:

• ASP5 Aspirational
• ASP4 Aspirational
• ASP3 Aspirational
• BAU2 Business as Usual
• BAU1 Business as Usual
• ACSE Fields LTAR Scaleup Fields

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