Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly. The Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly (Euphydryas phaeton) has been the official arthropodic emblem of the State since 1973 

 

 

Like other butterflies, the Baltimore Checkerspot searches for one kind of host plant from which it will gain nourishment during its period of growth. In this case, the White Turtlehead (Chelone glabra) is the only host plant that this butterfly will use.

This dynamic has recently created a crisis because White Turtlehead plants have disappeared from many areas and the Checkerspot Butterfly has left due to not have a host plan to feed on. This illustrates one of the lessons we learn over and over as we live. One change may have unanticipated consequences that are not realized until after the change is made. Some changes can be corrected and others are irreversible. I taking this situation as a reminder to double-check actions I take before I make them to see if something I do not intend is about to take place. A good reminder for all of us!