Biodiversity. Butterflies, dragonflies, shrikes... why these animals could disappear
This summer, Le Progrès takes you on the trail of the small (or large) creatures of the south of the Loire. These hundreds of species with which we sometimes coexist without even seeing them and some of which are threatened with extinction. Global warming, pollution, habitat destruction... the causes of their decline are numerous. For this third episode, we talk to you about the most fragile species in our region.
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"The most fragile species are the specialists. Because they have specific needs and their survival depends on a very specific habitat." André Ulmer, administrator of France Nature Environnement (FNE) and vice-president of the Loire Forez natural science society, quickly turns the pages of his butterfly atlas. Then he places his finger on an image, a small lepidopteran with bluish wings, speckled with black.
Thyme blue in difficultyPhengaris arion , better known as the blue thyme, is typical of these specific species. "Its caterpillar drops to the ground to be picked up by a very specific species of ant, the myrmica.
"It lives off the anthill for several months, feeding on the eggs and larvae, until it becomes a butterfly," says André Ulmer,...
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