OBSERVATIONS OF SPRING LARVAE OF LYCAEIDES MELISSA SAMUELIS (LEPIDOPTERA, LYCAENIDAE) IN CENTRAL WISCONSIN

At 36 sampling sites in central Wisconsin 1991-94, 358 spring larvae o f the Karner blue (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) ranged from 1.9-17.0 mm in length, with only two >15.0 mm. The number of attending ants (mean 2.0, range 0-25) covaried strongly with larval size, with ants attend ing all larval instars. Height of wild lupine (Lupinus perennis), this butterfly's only larval food plant, correlated significantly with lar val length, and larvae did not appear to hatch too soon in cool spring s to have adequate forage. Larval presence and size correlated signifi cantly with five of seven types of feeding signs on the lupines. Larva l perching sites, feeding locations, and disturbance behaviors varied somewhat by instar. In 1991-93, no larvae were found in seven sampling s of recently burned areas, although larvae were found in unburned sit es nearby. In 1994, two larvae were found in a very patchily and incom pletely burned area. Many larvae were found in areas mowed since or du ring the previous adult flight. Larval counts correlated positively wi th adult counts later in the same year. Adult surveys appeared more ef ficient than larval surveys, which are more effective when based on a knowledge of larval phenology, feeding signs, perching sites, feeding locations, and disturbance tolerances.