Bethpage State Park Ecology

This summer,  Bethpage State Park started a joint conservation program with Caumsett State Park to establish a Baltimore Checkerspot colony at our park.  Baltimore Checkerspots are a small, native butterfly with striking coloration. Once believed to inhabit meadows all-across the Eastern Seaboard, today their numbers are unfortunately not well-documented or widely researched. At one time there were many colonies in Marlyand, where the Baltimore Checkerspot became the state insect and even got its name for an appearance resembling Lord Baltimore's coat-of-arms! However, in 2009, Sue and Ken Feustel discovered a Baltimore Checkerspot colony at Caumsett State Park. This was the the first of its kind, as prior to, only a few individual butterflies had ever been reported on Long Island!  Some speculated that the Checkerspots ventured across Long Island Sound, and into Caumsett, from colonies in Connecticut and Westchester.  Since this exciting discovery, Sue has been counting B