False-foxglove Sun Moth (Pyrrhia aurantiago), Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove (Aureolaria pedicularia) and Smooth Yellow False Foxglove (Aureolaria flava): recovery strategy 2025

Official title: Recovery Strategy for the False-foxglove Sun Moth (Pyrrhia aurantiago), the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove (Aureolaria pedicularia) and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove (Aureolaria flava) in Canada

Species at Risk Act
Recovery Strategy Series

2025

Preface

The federal, provincial, and territorial government signatories under the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk (1996)^{Footnote 2} agreed to establish complementary legislation and programs that provide for effective protection of species at risk throughout Canada. Under the Species at Risk Act (S.C. 2002, c.29) (SARA), the federal competent ministers are responsible for the preparation of recovery strategies for listed Extirpated, Endangered, and Threatened species and are required to report on progress within five years after the publication of the final document on the SAR Public Registry.

The Minister of Environment Climate Change Canada is the competent minister under SARA for the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove and has prepared this recovery strategy, as per section 37 of SARA. To the extent possible, it has been prepared in cooperation with the Government of Ontario and the Walpole Island First Nation, as per section 39(1) of SARA.

Success in the recovery of this species depends on the commitment and cooperation of many different constituencies that will be involved in implementing the directions set out in this strategy and will not be achieved by Environment and Climate Change Canada, or any other jurisdiction alone. All Canadians are invited to join in supporting and implementing this strategy for the benefit of the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove and Canadian society as a whole.

This recovery strategy will be followed by one or more action plans that will provide information on recovery measures to be taken by Environment and Climate Change Canada and other jurisdictions and/or organizations involved in the conservation of the species. Implementation of this strategy is subject to appropriations, priorities, and budgetary constraints of the participating jurisdictions and organizations.

The recovery strategy sets the strategic direction to arrest or reverse the decline of these species, including identification of critical habitat to the extent possible. It provides all Canadians with information to help take action on species conservation. When critical habitat is identified, either in a recovery strategy or an action plan, SARA requires that critical habitat then be protected.

In the case of critical habitat identified for terrestrial species including migratory birds SARA requires that critical habitat identified in a federally protected area^{Footnote 3} be described in the Canada Gazette within 90 days after the recovery strategy or action plan that identified the critical habitat is included in the public registry. A prohibition against destruction of critical habitat under ss. 58(1) will apply 90 days after the description of the critical habitat is published in the Canada Gazette.

For critical habitat located on other federal lands, the competent minister must either make a statement on existing legal protection or make an order so that the prohibition against destruction of critical habitat applies.

If the critical habitat for a migratory bird is not within a federal protected area and is not on federal land, within the exclusive economic zone or on the continental shelf of Canada, the prohibition against destruction can only apply to those portions of the critical habitat that are habitat to which the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994 applies as per SARA ss. 58(5.1) and ss. 58(5.2).

For any part of critical habitat located on non-federal lands, if the competent minister forms the opinion that any portion of critical habitat is not protected by provisions in or measures under SARA or other Acts of Parliament, or the laws of the province or territory, SARA requires that the Minister recommend that the Governor in Council make an order to prohibit destruction of critical habitat. The discretion to protect critical habitat on non-federal lands that is not otherwise protected rests with the Governor in Council.

Acknowledgments

This recovery strategy was prepared by Burke Korol (Environment and Climate Change Canada – Canadian Wildlife Service, Ontario Region), with contributions from Shady Abbas and Jia Yi Fan (Environment and Climate Change Canada – Canadian Wildlife Service, Ontario Region). Valuable reviews were provided by Marie-Claude Archambault, Holly Bickerton, Krista Holmes, Stephanie Muckle, Kate O’Donoghue, Karolyne Pickett and Chris Rohe (Environment and Climate Change Canada – Canadian Wildlife Service, Ontario Region). The Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre provided updated element occurrence information. Thanks to the landowners and managers in southwestern Ontario who permitted property access, resulting in updated information on these species in Canada. Acknowledgement and thanks is given to all other parties that provided advice and input used to help inform the development of this recovery strategy who provided input and participated in consultation meetings.

Executive summary

The False-foxglove Sun Moth was listed as Endangered on Schedule 1 of the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) in April 2021. The False-foxglove Sun Moth is a small moth approximately 30 mm long with a wingspan of 25 to 33 mm. Its forewing is dark orange at the base and purple on the outer third, separated by a dark, jagged band. The hind wing is yellowish at the base, grading into dull red or pink on the outer third and the body of the moth are covered with orange hairs. Mature larvae (that is, caterpillars) are dark brown with paler stripes on the sides and back and blackish patches on the head. This moth is extant at three locations in Canada, all within the oak-dominated savannas and open woodlands of southern Ontario. It is estimated that 99% of this habitat type has been lost in Ontario. In addition to the loss of its habitat, this moth is threatened by degradation of its remaining habitat. The larvae (caterpillars) feed on specific host plants: the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove, both of which are Threatened species in Canada.

The Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove were listed as Threatened on Schedule 1 of SARA in February 2023. These herbaceous plants have showy yellow flowers. The Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove is covered with hairs, which are especially obvious on the sepals and flower stalks. It flowers throughout August and September. The Smooth Yellow False Foxglove has hairless stems and flowers from late July to mid-September. The leaves of the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove are more dissected than the lobed leaves of the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove. The flower stalks of the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove are much longer than those of the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove. The numerous fruiting capsules of both species ripen in fall and each produce 300 to 500 seeds.

In Canada, both species of plant have a small distribution, being restricted to southwestern Ontario and each occurring at fewer than 10 locations within oak savannas and woodlands. These plants obtain some of the nutrients and water they require by parasitizing the roots of oak trees. The availability of their woody host species limits their distribution. The main threats to these two plant species in Canada are the same, and include the continued decline in extent and quality of their habitat resulting from fire suppression, invasive plant species and urban development, as well as browsing by White-tailed Deer.

Given the similarities in the distribution, locations, habitat and threats of these species, a multispecies approach was taken for the recovery and conservation of the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove. False-foxglove Sun Moths are naturally limited by the availability of its two larval host plants (that is, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove) which are in turn limited by the availability and quality of oak savanna and woodland habitat in southwestern Ontario. The recovery of this moth depends entirely on the continued survival and/or recovery of the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove and their oak savanna and woodland habitats.

The recovery of these three species has been determined to be feasible, and thus this recovery strategy has been prepared as per subsection 41(1) of SARA.

The population and distribution objectives for the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada are to lower their risk of extirpation by: maintaining or increasing the extent and quality of habitat in extant subpopulations, as well as at any additional naturally occurring subpopulations discovered in the future, and reducing local threats.

Broad strategies are presented to address the threats to the survival and recovery of these species. Implementation of these broad strategies is required to meet the population and distribution objectives.

Critical habitat has been identified for each of the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove. These identifications have been done using the best available information to support the population and distribution objectives. To summarize, critical habitat for the False-foxglove Sun Moth includes oak savanna where its larval host plants (that is, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove) occur. Critical habitat for the plants includes open or partially shaded oak savanna on dry soils. The critical habitat identified in this recovery strategy is insufficient to meet the population and distribution objectives for the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove. A schedule of studies outlines key activities that are required to complete the identification of critical habitat.

One or more action plans will follow this recovery strategy and will be posted on the Species at Risk Public Registry within ten years of the posting of the final recovery strategy.

Recovery feasibility summary

Based on the following three criteria^{Footnote 4} that Environment and Climate Change Canada uses to establish recovery feasibility, recovery of the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove has been deemed technically and biologically feasible.

1. Can survival characteristics^{Footnote 5} be addressed to the extent that the species’ risk of extinction or extirpation as a result of human activity is reduced?

Yes. The False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove share two survival characteristics that need to be addressed in order to reduce their risk of extirpation as a result of human activity: redundancy^{Footnote 6} and connectivity^{Footnote 7}. In addition, resiliency^{Footnote 8} of the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove needs to be addressed. With respect to these three species, redundancy is generally low, due to a continuing decline in habitat quality which is contributing to the small size of the area occupied by the species. It is believed to be feasible to address redundancy by implementing appropriate habitat management techniques that can not only arrest the decline, but improve the extent and quality of oak savanna habitat (for example, prescribed burning, invasive plant species control) where the species occur. Implementing these techniques will simultaneously address resiliency by increasing the extent of suitable habitat conducive to an increase in the number of mature individuals. In the longer term, it is believed to be feasible to address connectivity, which refers to the small number of locations where the species occur, by facilitating dispersal of the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove to restored habitat in unoccupied locations, followed by re-introduction of the False-foxglove Sun Moth if necessary once the host plants are established in these new locations.

2. Is the species currently able to persist in Canada independent of deliberate human interventions, and/or will it eventually be able to achieve and maintain independence in the state where condition (1) is met (that is, after key survival characteristic(s) are addressed), such that it is not reliant on significant, direct, ongoing human intervention?

Yes, with some uncertainty. In Canada, the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove each have a restricted geographic range due to their occurrence in oak savanna and oak woodland habitats of southwestern Ontario. Land survey mapping dating prior to European settlement has shown that there was once 584 km² of savanna in Ontario (Bakowsky, pers. comm. 2022). Savanna is now one of the most endangered habitat types in Canada (Rodger 1998). In Ontario, approximately 98% of oak savanna has been lost and remaining oak woodlands are small and fragmented (Rodger 1998). Oak ecosystems are in decline throughout the species range (McEwan et al. 2011; Brose et al. 2014).

The oak savanna habitat upon which the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and Smooth Yellow False Foxglove depend has been reduced in extent and quality due in part to suppression of wildfire over the last century (McEwan et al. 2011; Brose et al. 2014; Nowacki and Abrams 2008). The natural occurrence of wildfire maintains oak savanna habitat by re-opening the tree canopy, thus allowing the survival and re-generation of oaks which are shade-intolerant. On-going habitat management (for example, prescribed burns, to mimic natural wildfires) will be necessary to restore and maintain suitable habitat for these two plant species in the long-term, because the continued presence of human settlements in southwestern Ontario will dictate continued wildfire suppression.

Overabundance of White-tailed Deer and the resulting high browsing pressure on both plant species can be attributed to increased forage from agricultural and silvicultural activities, and the reduction in hunting and natural predators (Côté et al 2004). Thus, indirect human intervention may need to occur on an on-going basis due to the near-absence of natural deer predators in southwestern Ontario as a result of human activity.

In the longer term, should additional suitable habitat be successfully restored and connectivity improved, it may still be necessary to harvest seed from mature plants and facilitate dispersal to establish new subpopulations because these species do not have the ability to disperse seeds over the long distances that will likely remain between suitable habitat patches in southwestern Ontario’s fragmented landscape (COSEWIC 2018). Once new subpopulations are established, it is unlikely that seeding efforts would need to continue since germination rates are generally high (King 1989). Transplanting mature plants may be challenging because of their hemi-parasitic^{Footnote 9} life history. However, studies on other Yellow False Foxgloves suggest that transplanting may be successful using the application of macronutrients, and other standard horticultural techniques (Musselmann 1969; Mann and Musselman 1981).

Suitable habitat for the False-foxglove Sun Moth currently exists as remnant patches where extant subpopulations of the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and Smooth Yellow False Foxglove occur. If new subpopulations of Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and Smooth Yellow False Foxglove are successfully established, human intervention may also be required to introduce the False Foxglove Sun Moth to these new areas. It is unknown whether introductions of the False Foxglove Sun Moth would need to continue on an on-going basis to maintain new subpopulations of the species.

3. Can the species’ condition be improved over when it was assessed as at risk?

Yes. The condition of a species refers to the combination of factors that contribute to a species’ risk of extinction or extirpation (ECCC 2020). The historical loss, and continuing decline in the extent and quality of suitable habitat has led to a deterioration of the natural condition of the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove. However the current condition of all three species can be improved by increasing the amount and quality of suitable habitat, and implementing threat mitigation measures to increase the number of mature individuals (for example, White-tailed Deer management, to decrease herbivory). In the longer term it may be possible to further improve the species condition by (re)introducing these species in unoccupied habitat.

Successful implementation of wildlife and habitat programs typically require inter-governmental co-operation and the involvement of many individuals, organizations and communities. The expected human population growth and the limited number of remaining oak savanna habitat patches within the species natural range may result in competing and conflicting land uses. This highlights the importance of cooperatively and sustainably managing species at risk by considering all ecosystem values.

1. COSEWIC* species assessment information

Date of assessment: April 2018

Common name (population): False-foxglove Sun Moth

Scientific name: Pyrrhia aurantiago

COSEWIC status: Endangered

Reason for designation: This rare moth is extant at three locations in Canada, all within the oak-dominated savannas and open woodlands of southern Ontario. It is estimated that 99% of this habitat type has been lost in Ontario. The larvae depend on Smooth Yellow False Foxglove and Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove, both of which are species at risk in Canada. Canadian subpopulations of this moth are mostly in protected areas where the primary threats are over-browsing of the larval host plants by native White-tailed Deer and the effects of competition from invasive plants on the host plants.

Canadian occurrence: Ontario

COSEWIC status history: Designated Endangered in April 2018

Date of assessment: April 2018

Common name (population): Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove

Scientific name: Aureolaria pedicularia

COSEWIC status: Threatened

Reason for designation: This short-lived plant species has a distribution restricted in Canada to southwestern Ontario. The remaining individuals occur in a small number of locations within oak savannas and woodlands. Declines have been observed in quality of habitat. Fire suppression and residential development threaten the remaining extant locations.

Canadian occurrence: Ontario

COSEWIC status history: Designated Threatened in April 2018

Date of assessment: April 2018

Common name (population): Smooth Yellow False Foxglove

Scientific name: Aureolaria flava

COSEWIC status: Threatened

Reason for designation: This perennial plant species has a distribution restricted in Canada to southwestern Ontario. There are few individuals remaining in a small number of locations within oak savannas and woodlands. Declines have been observed in its distribution and quality of habitat. Fire suppression and browsing by White-tailed Deer threaten the remaining extant locations.

Canadian occurrence: Ontario

COSEWIC status history: Designated Threatened in April 2018.

* COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada)

2. Species status information

The global conservation status rank for the False-foxglove Sun Moth is vulnerable (G3) and the Canadian and Ontario conservation status rank is critically imperilled (N1 and S1, respectively) (NatureServe 2021) (see Appendix A for status ranks at the state level in the U.S.). The False-foxglove Sun Moth was listed as Endangered on Schedule 1 of the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) in April 2021. The species is listed as Endangered on the Species at Risk in Ontario List under the Province of Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA 2007). All extant subpopulations of the False-foxglove Sun Moth in Canada are in provincial or municipal parks. The Ontario population represents less than 1% of the known occurrences globally (COSEWIC 2018a).

The Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove are both considered globally secure (G5), but are ranked as imperilled in Canada (N2?)^{Footnote 10} and Ontario (S2?) (NatureServe 2021). Both plant species were listed as Threatened on Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA) in February 2023. These species are both listed as Threatened on the Species at Risk in Ontario List under the Province of Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA 2007). The percentages of the global ranges of the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Ontario are estimated to be 5% and 2%, respectively.

3. Species information

3.1 Species description

The False-foxglove Sun Moth is in the owlet moth family (Noctuidae) and adults are approximately 30 mm long with a wingspan of 25 to 33 mm. The forewing is dark orange at the base and purple on the outer third, separated by a dark, jagged band. The hind wing is yellowish at the base, grading into dull red or pink on the outer third. The thorax and abdomen are covered with orange hairs. Younger larvae are whitish to yellowish and unmarked. Mature larvae are an overall dark brown with paler stripes on the sides and back and blackish patches on the head (COSEWIC 2018a).

In late summer, females lay eggs on the flowers of host plants and the young larvae (caterpillars) burrow into the ovaries and seed capsules. The larvae seal the entry openings with silk, and feed on the seeds and flower parts in the developing seed capsule (Wyatt 1938). Larvae reside in the capsule until they become too large, and then move outside the capsule. Older larvae remain on the host plant and feed by chewing through seed capsules and eating the seeds. Larvae are also nocturnal (Schweitzer et al. 2011). After feeding for several weeks, larvae move to the ground to pupate. The only known occurrence of a larva in Canada was observed on the ground underneath the host plant on 28 September 2015 and was probably about to pupate.

The Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove are herbaceous plants with showy yellow flowers in the Broomrape Family (Orobanchaceae). In the southern part of its range, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove completes its entire life cycle in a single year, but in Ontario it typically takes two years (that is, it is a biennial). It is covered with hairs, which are especially obvious on the sepals and flower stalks. It flowers throughout August and September. Its wingless seeds are tiny (that is, 0.5 to 1 mm) and not thought to be specialized for long-distance dispersal by wind. The perennial Smooth Yellow False Foxglove has hairless stems and flowers from late July to mid-September. It has small (1 to 3 mm), winged seeds which do not appear to be specialized for long-distance dispersal. The numerous fruiting capsules of both species ripen in fall and each produce 300 to 500 seeds. Both species lack any specialized seed dispersal mechanisms. The leaves of the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove are more dissected than the lobed leaves of the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove. The flower stalks of the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove are much longer than those of the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove.

The Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove are hemi-parasitic plants, meaning that they acquire water and nutrients in part by attaching their roots to the roots of oak (Quercus spp.) trees or other host plants. In Ontario, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove associates with ‘black oaks’ like Black Oak (Q. velutina) and Pin Oak (Q. ellipsoidalis). The Smooth Yellow False Foxglove is apparently restricted to ‘white oaks’; in Ontario, it has been found with White Oak (Q. alba). However, COSEWIC (2018b) states that the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove has also been found in association with Black Oak and Red Oak (Q. rubra).

Like many other species with relatively large and showy flowers, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove are pollinated by bumble bees and other insects. Grundel et al. (2011) surveyed bee populations in northwestern Indiana and found 27 species of bees on Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove flowers and three bee species on Smooth Yellow False Foxglove flowers. Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove plants can self-pollinate, whereas the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove requires pollen from other plants to set seed.

3.2 Species population and distribution

The False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove occur only in eastern North America. A small part of the global range of these three species (that is, 1%, 5% and 2%, respectively) extends into Canada where they are only found in southwestern Ontario (Figure 1). Appendix B shows the names and general locations of subpopulations of the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada.

Of the five documented Canadian subpopulations of the False-foxglove Sun Moth, three are extant (Figure 1, Appendix B): the Pinery Park subpopulation and the Turkey Point subpopulation, both of which co-occur with the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove, and the Ojibway Prairie Complex subpopulation, which co-occurs with the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove as detailed in Appendix D. Both the London and Delhi subpopulations of False-foxglove Sun Moth are considered extirpated (COSEWIC 2018a).

The last known survey (in 2016) of the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove confirmed six and seven extant subpopulations, respectively (Figure 1, Appendix B). Seventeen Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove subpopulations and seventeen Smooth Yellow False Foxglove subpopulations are considered extirpated (COSEWIC 2018b).

Figure 1. Distribution of the extant subpopulations of the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada.

3.3 Needs of the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove

The False-foxglove Sun Moth inhabits oak-dominated savannas and open woodlands where its larval host plants, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove, occur. In late summer, females lay eggs on the flowers of these host plants and the larvae burrow into the seed capsules, and feed on the seeds until the fall. Sometime from late September to October larvae find a suitable place in the soil beneath the host plants to overwinter. In Canada, its habitats include dry, sandy or loamy fine sand soils near the Great Lakes. In Canada, adults fly from late July to mid-September, but as late as late October in the southern part of its range in the United States (Forbes 1954; Schweitzer et al. 2011; Brou 2016). These moths are nocturnal and visit (unspecified species of) flowers, including Yellow False Foxglove species, for nectar (Schweitzer et al. 2011).

Both plant species are found in dry upland oak ecosystems. The Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove is mostly found in oak-dominated savanna and woodland habitats (up to 60% canopy cover), whereas the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove mostly occurs in oak-dominated woodlands and forests (60-80% canopy cover). Both species are shade intolerant, but Smooth Yellow False Foxglove has been observed in ecosites with greater canopy closure, albeit in generally poorer condition and health. Bare soil is an important factor in seed germination for both plants (COSEWIC 2018b). Due to their preference for open environments, occupied patches in wooded areas are often found in specific topographic situations (for example, near open water, south- or west-facing slopes, or on ridge backs, valley rims, or escarpment rim), which have higher light penetration. These topographic situations may also provide climatic benefits, such as moderated winter temperatures.

Both of these false foxglove species can obtain the nutrition they require from photosynthesis and/or by parasitizing oak tree roots. The Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove is more commonly associated with Black Oak, and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove tends to be associated with White Oak. This ability can provide them with a competitive advantage on drought-prone soils, provided they can attach to a suitable host.

Limiting factors

With its only two larval host plants, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove, each occurring in less than ten locations, the False-foxglove Sun Moth has limited opportunities for reproduction in Canada. These plants, in turn, are subject to various limiting factors. For example, they are both at the northern limit of their natural range and exist in subpopulations that are geographically and genetically isolated from each other and those in the adjacent United States.

Populations at the limit of a species’ range often occupy poorer habitat and are more fragmented, less dense, and more variable than those within their core range (Channell and Lomolino 2000; Vucetich and Waite 2003). Genetic diversity is sometimes, but not always, less in peripheral populations, but they may possess unique genetic characteristics (Vucetich and Waite 2003). Because the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada occur in small, isolated subpopulations, they are vulnerable to extirpation due to environmental stochasticity (chance events such as early or late frosts, hail storms).

Bumble bees are important pollinators of both the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove, and were reported to be the only effective pollinators observed on Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove flowers in their Massachusetts study area (Ramstetter and Mulcahy 1986). The authors noted that its flowers were generally only open for one day and the bees they observed only visited flowers in the first half of September.

4. Threats

4.1 Threat assessment

The False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove threat assessments (COSEWIC 2018a and 2018b; Tables 1a, 1b and 1c, respectively) are based on the IUCN-CMP (International Union for Conservation of Nature –Conservation Measures Partnership) unified threats classification system. Threats are defined as the proximate activities or processes that have caused, are causing, or may cause in the future the destruction, degradation, and/or impairment of the entity being assessed (population, species, community, or ecosystem) in the area of interest (global, national, or subnational). Limiting factors are not considered during this assessment process. For purposes of the threat assessment, only present and future threats are considered. Historical threats, indirect or cumulative effects of the threats, or any other relevant information that would help understand the nature of the threats are presented in the Description of Threats section.

^a Impact – The degree to which a species is observed, inferred, or suspected to be directly or indirectly threatened in the area of interest. The impact of each threat is based on Severity and Scope rating and considers only present and future threats. Threat impact reflects a reduction of a species population or decline/degradation of the area of an ecosystem. The median rate of population reduction or area decline for each combination of scope and severity corresponds to the following classes of threat impact: Very high (75% declines), High (40%), Medium (15%), and Low (3%). Unknown: used when impact cannot be determined (for example, if values for either scope or severity are unknown); Not Calculated: impact not calculated as threat is outside the assessment timeframe (for example, timing is insignificant/negligible or low as threat is only considered to be in the past); Negligible: when scope or severity is negligible; Not a Threat: when severity is scored as neutral or potential benefit.

^b Scope – Proportion of the species that can reasonably be expected to be affected by the threat within 10 years. Usually measured as a proportion of the species’ population in the area of interest. (Pervasive = 71–100%; Large = 31–70%; Restricted = 11–30%; Small = 1–10%; Negligible < 1%).

^c Severity – Within the scope, the level of damage to the species from the threat that can reasonably be expected to be affected by the threat within a 10-year or three-generation timeframe. Usually measured as the degree of reduction of the species’ population. (Extreme = 71–100%; Serious = 31–70%; Moderate = 11–30%; Slight = 1–10%; Negligible < 1%; Neutral or Potential Benefit ≥ 0%).

^d Timing – High = continuing; Moderate = only in the future (could happen in the short term [< 10 years or 3 generations]) or now suspended (could come back in the short term); Low = only in the future (could happen in the long term) or now suspended (could come back in the long term); Insignificant/Negligible = only in the past and unlikely to return, or no direct effect but limiting.

4.2 Description of threats

The threats to the False-foxglove Sun Moth’s larval host species (that is, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove) are essential to consider when planning for its recovery. The declines in these two host species are the cumulative result of several threats, which are discussed below.

The Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and Smooth Yellow False Foxglove are thought to be impacted by four main threats (Tables 1b and 1c): residential and commercial development (housing and urban areas), human intrusions and disturbance (recreational activities), natural systems modifications (fire and fire suppression), and invasive and other problematic species and genes (invasive non-native/alien species, problematic native species).

Threat 1. Residential and commercial development

• medium impact for False-foxglove Sun Moth and Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove

The oak dominated savanna and woodland habitat supporting these species has been drastically reduced in extent in the past 150 years as a result of European settlement and conversion of land to agricultural uses; today, only 1 to 2% of Ontario’s original area of this type of habitat exists (COSEWIC 2018). Historical residential development adjacent to three occurrences of the False-foxglove Sun Moth probably destroyed its habitat (COSEWIC 2018a), though there has been little or no residential development adjacent to extant sites located in protected areas in the last 10 years. Residential development could happen adjacent to The Pinery Provincial Park if the area is rezoned to allow residential development, which could result in the direct loss of the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove individuals, and by extension pose a threat to the subpopulation of the False-foxglove Sun Moth that also occurs there. Another subpopulation of Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove occurs on a shoreline located within a residential subdivision, and is subject to a variety of human-caused impacts resulting from their close proximity to the residences.

If camping areas and/or hiking trails at provincial parks and other sites were to be expanded, there could be direct or indirect impacts to Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove plants and the False-foxglove Sun Moth, or their habitat. However, care is usually taken to avoid species at risk in parks.

Threat 6. Human intrusions and disturbance (recreational activities)

• medium-low impact for Smooth Yellow False Foxglove
• low impact for False-foxglove Sun Moth and Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove

Trampling due to off-trail hiking and ATV use can kill plants and damage ungerminated seeds (seed bank). Recreational trails in some areas with Smooth Yellow False Foxglove are under heavy and increasing use; this has resulted in the widening of trails and the subsequent trampling of plants adjacent to the trails. Wider trails also increase the area of compacted soil which makes it more difficult for plants to germinate and grow. Recreational activities are also causing negative impacts on Fern-leaved False Foxglove at some sites, but are generally less severe. In addition to damage to individual plants and soils, recreational activities can facilitate the introduction and spread of invasive species (see Threat 8.1).

Threat 7. Natural systems modifications (fire suppression)

• unknown Impact for False-foxglove Sun Moth
• medium impact for Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and Smooth Yellow False Foxglove)

Oak savanna, and to a lesser extent, oak woodlands, are dependent on periodic fire to limit the establishment of woody perennial shrubs and closed canopy forests. Prior to European settlement, the ecosystem’s relatively sparse tree density was in part maintained by periodic fires ignited by First Nations peoples (Rodewald 2003; Rodger 1998). Traditionally, fires were used to maintain open woodlands on First Nations portages and camps (Bakowsky and Riley 1994). Fire was also used to clear land for agricultural uses, both prior to and after European settlement (Rodewald 2003). Historically, lightning-caused wildfires also created oak savanna habitat (Rodger 1998).

Wildfires are currently suppressed to protect people and property. Lack of periodic wildfire has resulted in mesophication^{Footnote 11} of oak woodland habitats that support the larval host plants of the False-foxglove Sun Moth (that is, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove). Both of these false foxglove plant species are shade-intolerant to some degree, and high tree densities reduce the amount of light available to these ground-level plants. The establishment of woody perennial shrubs further increases competition for nutrients, moisture and light.

Wildfires are being actively suppressed at at least four locations, but prescribed burning is taking place in three other areas. Depending on its extent, intensity and timing, fire itself may be detrimental to the species, however prescribed burns can be conducted in a manner that minimizes negative short-term impacts on species at risk. For example, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove are dormant and have no above-ground parts in early spring, while the False-foxglove Sun Moths have not yet emerged from where they are overwintering underground. Fire intensity and temperature can be controlled by conducting burns under specific conditions (for example, time of day with optimal humidity or pre-burn fuel load management). Furthermore, different portions of suitable habitat can be burned over a period of several years, so as to leave refugia for species at risk in a given year. Partial or low-intensity, spring burns would not be expected to have negative impacts on the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove or the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove.

One of the largest subpopulations of Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove at the Royal Botanical Gardens is additionally threatened by bank erosion, as plants are situated within metres of a steadily eroding shoreline (S. Richer, pers. comm. 2024). It is not known whether this threat similarly affects other subpopulations.

Threat 8. Invasive and other problematic species and genes

• Threat 8.1 Invasive non-native/alien species
  • medium-low for Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove
  • low impact for False-foxglove Sun Moth and Smooth Yellow False Foxglove

Non-native, invasive vascular plants are present at many sites where these three species occur. Specifically, Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and European Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) have been reported as competing at some sites (COSEWIC 2018). Shady conditions created by non-native shrubs reduce the amount of suitable (for example, partially sunny) habitat for the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxlgove. Some invasive plant species appear to benefit from new openings created by Ash canopy dieback, a result of the spread of Emerald Ash Borer. Loss of suitable habitat results in fewer plants and lower seed productivity, and consequently also negatively impacts the False-foxglove Sun Moth. Non-native, invasive plants increase competition for the space, nutrients and moisture that these false foxglove plants require. Thirdly, invasive plants can displace other native plant species; due to the general unpalatability of non-native plants to native White-tailed Deer, such displacements can increase browsing pressure on the remaining native species (see Threat 8.2). Active management of invasive species in two provincial parks has lessened but not eliminated their impacts on false foxglove plants.

Outbreaks of the European Spongy Moth (Lymantra dispar) have in the past caused elevated oak mortality and are likely to recur periodically; on the other hand, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove can benefit from more open canopies as long as a sufficient amount of oak trees survive.

Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove has been observed with damage by aphids (Aphis sp.) resulting in a lack of reproduction and/or death (S. Richer, pers. comm. 2024). More information is needed to determine to determine the scope and severity of this threat.

• Threat 8.2 Problematic native species
  • medium impact for False-foxglove Sun Moth and Smooth Yellow False Foxglove
  • low impact for Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove

Browsing of Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxgove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove by White-tailed Deer, and incidental consumption of False-foxglove Sun Moth larvae, can be considered a threat in areas where deer densities exceed the carrying capacity of available forage resources. Deer numbers in southern Ontario are controlled primarily by weather, disease and hunting, but there is generally an overabundance of deer as a result of human activity (for example, predator removal). When not depredated, moth larvae may be deprived of food if the flowers and young seed capsules of the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxgove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove are browsed. While deer can help control competing vegetation (for example, Red Maple), the browsing pressure is considered to have a net negative impact on all three species. The impact of this threat is mitigated in The Pinery Provincial Park where deer herds are actively managed by periodic culls, but deer abundance is not managed in adjacent areas to the Park where the species are also found. Heavy browsing by rabbits, presumably Eastern Cottontail (Sylvivagus floridanus) has been observed on some plants (S. Richer, pers. comm. 2024).

5. Population and distribution objectives

Under subsection 41 (1) of SARA, recovery strategies must include a statement of the population and distribution objectives for endangered or threatened species. ECCC’s population and distribution objectives for the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada are to lower the risk of extirpation of each species by:

• maintaining their current extent of occurrence
• maintaining, and where technically and biologically feasible, increasing their current area of occupancy^{Footnote 12}
• maintaining, and if technically and biologically feasible, increasing the number of extant subpopulations

An additional population objective for Smooth Yellow Foxglove is to:

• increase the number of mature individuals

The recovery of the False-foxglove Sun Moth is dependent on the recovery of its larval host plants, the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove and the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove. Consequently, the recommended approach to recovering the Canadian populations of all three species is to improve the redundancy^{Footnote 13} of the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove and the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove by arresting the decline in quality of the habitat at the local scale (that is, within and in close proximity to extant subpopulations). This can be achieved by implementing habitat management measures (for example, prescribed burning, invasive species control, canopy cover control). It is expected that improved habitat (for example, dry soil conditions, reduced shading, reduced presence of invasive species) will at the very least maintain the number of extant subpopulations and abundance of all three species, which is the most efficient way to maintain their respective EOO and IAO (current as of 2018). The above habitat management measures are also likely to improve the resiliency^{Footnote 14} of the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove.

Increasing the number of extant subpopulations (that is, improving connectivity^{Footnote 15} ) may be possible by first re-introducing the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove and the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove where subpopulations have been extirpated and/or establishing subpopulations in areas of unoccupied habitat, whether existing or created through habitat restoration. This will most likely require human facilitated dispersal (seed collection and planting in unoccupied habitat), because the species’ seed dispersal capability is too short to overcome the degree of habitat fragmentation caused by human activities that is now present within its natural range. Subsequently, increasing the number of extant subpopulations of the False-foxglove Sun Moth may require human-assisted introduction within the newly established subpopulations of its host plant species.

6. Broad strategies and general approaches to meet objectives

6.1 Actions already completed or currently underway

Most of the remaining habitat for the False-foxglove Sun Moth is in protected areas where it is managed through prescribed burning to maintain savanna vegetation and has probably been relatively stable for the last 10 years (COSEWIC 2018a). However, increasing White-tailed Deer populations and invasive plants continue to alter habitat (see Threats Section 4.1). Targeted surveys for the moth in Turkey Point and The Pinery provincial park subpopulations were completed in 2015 and 2016. Citizen scientist M. Gartshore has been monitoring moths in suitable habitat almost daily in the Turkey Point region since 2014 (Giles, pers. comm. 2020). Mr. Giles noted that he and at least one other individual monitored moths in 2019 and 2020 within 10 km of Turkey Point Provincial Park.

According to COSEWIC (2018b), the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove have received relatively little targeted search effort in Canada other than the 2016 fieldwork for the status report. Our current understanding of the historical Canadian distribution of these two plants is based on collections by early botanists, observations during regional or local inventory work since the 1970s and other incidental reports. Prescribed fire has been used as a habitat management tool at three extant Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove sites (The Pinery Provincial Park, Turkey Point Provincial Park, and one patch at Cootes Paradise South Shore) and at three extant Smooth Yellow False Foxglove sites (Ojibway Prairie Complex, Walpole Island, Branchton Railway Oak Knoll). These fires (combined with woody invasive species control at two sites) appear to be achieving their restoration objectives and maintaining the species at sites within the large protected areas (that is, Ojibway Prairie Complex, The Pinery Provincial Park, Turkey Point Provincial Park).

From 2018 to 2020, with financial support from the federal government’s Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk, the St. Williams Conservation Reserve Community Council led a project to restore oak savanna habitat at the St. Williams Conservation Reserve, near Turkey Point. Outcomes of the three-year project included 8 ha of habitat improved through prescribed burning, 367.1 ha improved through invasive species control, and 30.5 ha improved through conifer thinning. Since 2020, improvements to the oak savanna at St. Williams Conservation Reserve through invasive species control, mechanical thinning and removal of non-native conifers, planting of native oaks, shrub and wildflower species, and prescribed burning, has been funded through the Canada Nature Fund via the Long Point Walsingham Forest Priority Place Open Country Working Group. Although St. Williams Conservation Reserve is not currently known to support subpopulations of the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove or the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove, the Reserve is located less than 1 km from the critical habitat (see section 7 below) of the Turkey Point Complex subpopulation of the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove. Thus, improvements to the oak savanna at the Reserve may make it a desirable location to establish a new subpopulation of one or both species of foxgloves.

In 2021 and 2022, targeted light trap surveys for False-foxglove Sun Moth were undertaken at St. Williams Conservation Reserve, where patches of Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove are found. No sun moths were detected during 6 nights over two years (NRSI 2023).

Staff at the Royal Botanical Gardens have surveyed occurrences of Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove in Cootes Paradise. In 2018, protective fenced exclosures were established around plants to reduce browsing by deer and rabbits. Observations suggest an overall decrease in stem browse, and a resulting increase in flowering ( S. Richer, pers. comm. 2024).

6.2 Strategic direction for recovery

Measures to recover the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada are listed in Table 2. They include measures aimed at lowering the species’ risk of extirpation and counter the threats they face in order to achieve the management objective identified in Section 5 above. The conservation measures have been categorized according to the Conservation Actions Classification system developed by the Conservation Measures Partnership, version 2.0 (CMP 2016).

The first broad category of recovery measures pertains to the direct management of the species and its habitat. Habitat-based measures focus on the implementation of plans to control woody vegetation cover and the spread of non-native plants in order to maintain oak-dominated savannas and woodlands where the amount of sunlight reaching the ground provides suitable growing conditions for the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove, and minimizing trampling of these plant species from recreational activities in order to avoid direct mortality of individual plants and soil compaction/erosion. To reduce direct mortality of individuals of all three species, the measures include reducing deer-browsing pressure. If warranted to meet the management objective, ex-situ germination and translocation of Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove individuals should be implemented to increase abundance and area of occupancy within existing subpopulations and/or in uncolonized areas. These measures can be coupled with captive-rearing and release of the False-foxglove Sun Moth, if feasible.

The second category of recovery measures relates to human behavioural change. This includes raising public awareness regarding the threat posed by off-trail hiking and biking, as well as outreach measures targeting landowners and land managers in order to prevent loss of oak savanna habitat and promote habitat stewardship measures.

The third category of conservation measures relates to planning and research activities that will enable the successful implementation of the management and outreach activities described above, the prevention of further negative impacts to the species, and monitoring species abundance and status of threats at the subpopulation level. The measures include using municipal land-use planning tools and processes to avoid impacts from new residential development, and conducting research on the feasibility of seed collection, ex-situ seed germination and translocation of Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and Smooth Yellow False Foxglove individuals, and captive-rearing and release of False-foxglove Sun Moth.

^a Refer to the CMP Conservation Actions Classification v 2.0 for more details on Broad Strategies and Approaches: CMP Actions Classification 2.0

^b “Priority” reflects the degree to which the broad strategy contributes directly to the recovery of the species or is an essential precursor to an approach that contributes to the recovery of the species.

7. Critical habitat

7.1 Identification of the species’ critical habitat

Section 41(1)(c) of SARA requires that recovery strategies include an identification of the species’ critical habitat, to the extent possible, as well as examples of activities that are likely to result in its destruction. Under section 2(1) of SARA, critical habitat is “the habitat that is necessary for the survival or recovery of a listed wildlife species and that is identified as the species’ critical habitat in the recovery strategy or in an action plan for the species”.

Critical habitat for the False-Foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada is identified as the extent of biophysical attributes (see Section 7.1.2) wherever they occur within areas containing critical habitat described in Section 7.1.1 (Appendices D and E).

The critical habitat identified in this federal recovery strategy will help in meeting the species’ population and distribution objectives identified in section 5; however it is recognized that the critical habitat identified for all three species is insufficient to achieve the objectives. Because the False-foxglove Sun Moth has not been observed in the past 10 years at Ojibway Prairie, and because location information for the 2015 species record at Turkey Point has not been accessible by ECCC, critical habitat for the False-foxglove Sun Moth is identified at only one of the three extant subpopulations of the species (Pinery Park area subpopulation). With respect to the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove, the information for some of the extant and historical subpopulations that were not visited during the most recent (that is, 2016) survey does not meet the required criteria to be identified as critical habitat (see footnote 18). Consequently, a Schedule of Studies (Section 7.2; Table 3) for all three species has been developed and outlines the activities required for identification of additional critical habitat necessary to support the population and distribution objectives. Additional critical habitat may be added in the future, if new or additional information supports the inclusion of areas beyond those currently identified (for example, new sites become colonized or existing sites expand into adjacent areas). For more information on critical habitat identification, contact Environment and Climate Change Canada – Canadian Wildlife Service at RecoveryPlanning-Planificationduretablissement@ec.gc.ca.

7.1.1 Areas containing critical habitat

In Canada, the presence and persistence of the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove depends on an area greater than that occupied by individuals of these species. These species require ecological and landscape features that promote and maintain biophysical attributes^{Footnote 16} which support their life processes (for example, reproduction and dispersal).

The area containing critical habitat for the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove is:

1. the suitable habitat ^{Footnote 17} where either Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove or Smooth Yellow False Foxglove plants are found^{Footnote 18}
2. the suitable habitat^{Footnote 19} where the False-foxglove Sun Moth is found^{Footnote 20}

7.1.2 Biophysical attributes of critical habitat

Within the areas described under 7.1.1., critical habitat is identified where the following biophysical attributes occur, typically characterized as follows:

• open deciduous forests, woodland and savannas^{Footnote 21} dominated by oak trees and compromising natural gaps in canopy cover, sparse understorey and ground vegetation, and mineral soils
• dry soils such as those found in sand dunes, sand plains, clay ridges and slopes, stony loams on moraines and shallow soils over carbonate bedrock

Because the False-foxglove Sun Moth is, at the larval stage, dependent on the presence of either the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and/or the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove, the biophysical attributes required by this moth are based on the habitat required to support the persistence of these plants.

7.2 Schedule of studies to identify critical habitat

7.3 Activities likely to result in the destruction of critical habitat

Understanding what constitutes destruction of critical habitat is necessary for the protection and management of critical habitat. Destruction is determined on a case by case basis. Destruction would result if all or part of the critical habitat was degraded, either permanently or temporarily, such that it would not serve its function when needed by the species. Destruction may result from a single activity or multiple activities at one point in time or from the cumulative effects of one or more activities over time.

It should be noted that not all activities that occur in or near critical habitat are likely to cause its destruction. Some activities that result in a short-term disturbance of critical habitat, without affecting individuals or residences, may improve the future quality of critical habitat, if managed appropriately. Some disturbance of False-foxglove Sun Moth habitat may be beneficial to the species by maintaining an open canopy via managing invasive species or perennial woody vegetation. Such disturbance could improve habitat for this moth’s larval host plants (that is, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and Smooth Yellow False Foxglove) as well as their oak tree hosts. It is possible for ecosystem management activities (for example, prescribed burns) to be conducted in a manner that promotes a mosaic of open and closed canopy oak woodland habitat without damaging or destroying critical habitat.

Activities described in Table 4 are examples of those likely to cause destruction of critical habitat for the species; however, destructive activities are not necessarily limited to those listed.

8. Measuring progress

The performance indicators presented below provide a way to define and measure progress toward achieving the population and distribution objectives.

Every ten years, success of recovery strategy implementation will be measured against the following performance indicators:

• the extent of occurrence of the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the False-foxglove Sun Moth is at least 11,646 km², 6,825 km² and 10,124 km², respectively
• the index of area of occupancy the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the False-foxglove Sun Moth is at least 40 km², 36 km² and 12 km², respectively
• the 2022 extant subpopulations of the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the False-foxglove Sun Moth (see Appendix B) remain extant
• the number of mature individuals of the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove is at least 1,000

9. Statement on action plans

One or more action plans will be completed for the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove and the False-foxglove Sun Moth and posted on the Species at Risk Public Registry within ten years, or as priorities and resources allow.

10. References

Bakowsky, W. 1994. The impact of deer grazing on the vegetation of Pinery Provincial Park. Natural Heritage Information Centre. Unpublished report.

Brou, V.A. 2016. Pyrrhia aurantiago (Guenée, 1852) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Louisiana 74320 Jack Loyd Road, Abita Springs, Louisiana 70420 USA

Channell, R. and M.V. Lomolino. 2000. Trajectories to extinction: Spatial dynamics of the contraction of geographical ranges. Journal of Biogeography 27(1):169-179. DOI:10.1046/j.1365-2699.2000.00382.x

CMP (Conservation Measures Partnership). 2016. Conservation actions classification (v2.0). Webpage: https://conservationstandards.org/library-item/conservation-actions-classification-v1-0/

COSEWIC. 2018a. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the False-foxglove Sun Moth Pyrrhia aurantiago in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. x + 40 pp.

COSEWIC. 2018b. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Yellow False Foxglove Bundle, Smooth Yellow False Foxglove Aureolaria flava, Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove Aureolaria pedicularia and the Downy Yellow False Foxglove Aureolaria virginica, in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. xx + 100 pp.

ECCC. 2020. Environment and Climate Change Canada – Species at Risk Act Policies Policy on Recovery and Survival. Gatineau, QC. 7 pp.

Forbes, W.T.M. 1954. Lepidoptera of New York and neighboring states part III. Cornell University Experiment Station Memoir 329: 1-433.

GBIF.org (17 November 2020) GBIF Occurrence Download https://doi.org/10.15468/dl.uh2b8x

Grundel, R., R.P. Jean, K.J. Frohnapple, J. Gibbs, and G.A. Glowacki. 2011. A Survey of Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of the Indiana Dunes and Northwest Indiana, USA. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 84(2) pp. 105-138. URL: https://doi.org/10.2317/JKES101027.1

Lee, H., W. Bakowsky, J. Riley, J. Bowles, M. Puddister, P. Uhlig, and S. McMurray. 1998. Ecological Land Classification for Southern Ontario: First Approximation and its Application. SCSS Field Guide FG-02, Southcentral Science Section, Science Development and Transfer Branch, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, North Bay, Ontario. 203pp.

Mann, W.F., and Musselman, L.J. 1981. Autotrophic Growth of Southern Root

Parasites. The American Midland Naturalist 106(1):203-205.

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Musselman, L.J. 1969. Observations on the Life History of Aureolaria grandiflora and

Aureolaria pedicularia (Scrophulariaceae). The American Midland Naturalist. 82(1): 307-311.

Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC) 2021. Ontario Plant Community List Website: https://www.ontario.ca/page/get-natural-heritage-information [Electronic spreadsheet downloaded March 2021].

NatureServe. 2021. NatureServe Explorer [web application]. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available https://explorer.natureserve.org/. (Accessed: 28 September 2021).

NatureServe. 2022. NatureServe Explorer [web application]. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available https://explorer.natureserve.org/. (Accessed: 25 February 2022).

NRSI. 2023. Surveying five insect species in tallgrass communities within the Long Point Walsingham Forest priority Place. Draft report prepared for ECCC Ontario Region, project no. 2619, Jan. 2023. 25 pp.

Musselman, L.J., and H.E. Grelen. 1979. A population of Aureolaria pedicularia (L.) Raf. (Scrophulariaceae) without oaks. American Midland Naturalist 102(1):175-177.

Ramstetter, J. and D.L. Mulcahy. 1986. Pollen competition in Aureolaria pedicularia in Biotechnology and Ecology of Pollen: Proceedings of the International Conference on the Biotechnology and Ecology of Pollen, 9–11 July, 1985, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA.

Richer, S. 2024. Personal communication. Species at Risk Biologist. Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington, Ontario.

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Werth, C.R., and J.L. Riopel. 1979. A study of the host range of Aureolaria pedicularia (L.) Raf. (Scrophulariaceae). American Midland Naturalist 102(2):300-306.

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Appendix A: Status Ranks for the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in the United States of America (source: NatureServe 2022)

Conservation Status ranks (N-National, S-Sub-National); 1: Critically Imperilled, 2: Imperilled; 3: Vulnerable, 4: Apparently Secure, 5: Secure, ?: Inexact Numeric Rank, H: Historical, NR: Not Ranked, U: Unrankable.

Appendix B: Subpopulations of the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada

Appendix C: Effects on the environment and other species

A strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is conducted on all SARA recovery planning documents, in accordance with the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals^{Footnote 22}. The purpose of a SEA is to incorporate environmental considerations into the development of public policies, plans, and program proposals to support environmentally sound decision-making and to evaluate whether the outcomes of a recovery planning document could affect any component of the environment or any of the Federal sustainable development strategy’s^{Footnote 23} (FSDS) goals and targets.

Recovery planning is intended to benefit species at risk and biodiversity in general. However, it is recognized that strategies may also inadvertently lead to environmental effects beyond the intended benefits. The planning process based on national guidelines directly incorporates consideration of all environmental effects, with a particular focus on possible impacts upon non-target species or habitats. The results of the SEA are incorporated directly into the strategy itself, but are also summarized below in this statement.

The False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove occur in association with other oak savanna dependent species. These include several other rare plants of the Mixedwood Plain Ecozone including Virginia Goat’s-rue (Tephrosia virginiana) and Bird’s-foot Violet (Viola pedata), which are both ranked S1 in Ontario. Oak savanna is dependent on periodic fire for its maintenance. It is expected that management and protection of this habitat will benefit oak savanna dependent species and its ecosystem processes and functions. However, some species found in the habitat used by the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove are neither dependent on, or adapted to, periodic fire. Recovery planning activities will be implemented with consideration for all co-occurring species at risk, such that there are no negative impacts to them or their habitats.

The potential for this recovery strategy to inadvertently lead to adverse effects on other species was considered. In general, most proposed recovery activities, including habitat management will benefit native plant and animal species. The SEA concluded that this strategy will benefit the environment and will not entail any significant adverse effects that cannot be avoided or mitigated.

Appendix D: Critical habitat for the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada

Figure D. The False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada – Southern Ontario . Overview (Ontario). Map extent for critical habitat for the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Ontario as depicted in Figures D-1 to D-9.

Figure D-1. The False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada. The area within which critical habitat is found for the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada, as described in section 7.1, is represented by the yellow shaded unit. Within this area, critical habitat only occurs where the biophysical attributes described in section 7.1.2 are found. The 1 km × 1 km UTM grid overlay (red outline) shown on this figure is a standardized national grid system used to indicate the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found.

Figure D-2. The False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada. The area within which critical habitat is found for the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada, as described in section 7.1, is represented by the yellow shaded unit. Within this area, critical habitat only occurs where the biophysical attributes described in section 7.1.2 are found. The 1 km × 1 km UTM grid overlay (red outline) shown on this figure is a standardized national grid system used to indicate the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found.

Figure D-3. The False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada. The area within which critical habitat is found for the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada, as described in section 7.1, is represented by the yellow shaded unit. Within this area, critical habitat only occurs where the biophysical attributes described in section 7.1.2 are found. The 1 km × 1 km UTM grid overlay (red outline) shown on this figure is a standardized national grid system used to indicate the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found.

Figure D-4. The Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove and False-Foxglove Sun Moth in Canada. The area within which critical habitat is found for the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada, as described in section 7.1, is represented by the yellow shaded unit. Within this area, critical habitat only occurs where the biophysical attributes described in section 7.1.2 are found. The 1 km × 1 km UTM grid overlay (red outline) shown on this figure is a standardized national grid system used to indicate the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found.

Figure D-5. The False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada. The area within which critical habitat is found for the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada, as described in section 7.1, is represented by the yellow shaded unit. Within this area, critical habitat only occurs where the biophysical attributes described in section 7.1.2 are found. The 1 km × 1 km UTM grid overlay (red outline) shown on this figure is a standardized national grid system used to indicate the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found.

Figure D-6. The False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada. The area within which critical habitat is found for the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada, as described in section 7.1, is represented by the yellow shaded unit. Within this area, critical habitat only occurs where the biophysical attributes described in section 7.1.2 are found. The 1 km × 1 km UTM grid overlay (red outline) shown on this figure is a standardized national grid system used to indicate the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found.

Figure D-7. The False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada. The area within which critical habitat is found for the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada, as described in section 7.1, is represented by the yellow shaded unit. Within this area, critical habitat only occurs where the biophysical attributes described in section 7.1.2 are found. The 1 km × 1 km UTM grid overlay (red outline) shown on this figure is a standardized national grid system used to indicate the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found.

Figure D-8. The False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada. The area within which critical habitat is found for the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada, as described in section 7.1, is represented by the yellow shaded unit. Within this area, critical habitat only occurs where the biophysical attributes described in section 7.1.2 are found. The 1 km × 1 km UTM grid overlay (red outline) shown on this figure is a standardized national grid system used to indicate the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found.

Figure D-9. The False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada. The area within which critical habitat is found for the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada, as described in section 7.1, is represented by the yellow shaded unit. Within this area, critical habitat only occurs where the biophysical attributes described in section 7.1.2 are found. The 1 km × 1 km UTM grid overlay (red outline) shown on this figure is a standardized national grid system used to indicate the general geographic area within which critical habitat is found.

Appendix E: Locations of critical habitat for the False-foxglove Sun Moth, the Fern-leaved Yellow False Foxglove and the Smooth Yellow False Foxglove in Canada