Did you know? Eleven butterfly species were newly listed or had their conservation status elevated on our state threatened and endangered species list this year. These species are: Acadian hairstreak, common roadside-skipper, dotted skipper, gray comma, Georgia (Lakehurst) satyr, hoary elfin, Leonard’s skipper, northern metalmark, pepper and salt skipper, (silver-bordered) Myrina fritillary, and two-spotted skipper.
Like the Monarch butterfly, who’s caterpillars only eat milkweed, these eleven butterflies also rely on specific host plants to reproduce. Many of these species are struggling across several states due to habitat loss, but often the cause of decline is unknown. Some of these butterflies may have been rare to begin with or have very specific host plant or habitat needs that are also rare.
Insects, including pollinators, are notoriously under-researched and therefore under-listed, meaning that because we don’t know much about them, its hard to know if their populations are declining or not. For conservation biologists that want to know how to conserve rare or imperiled butterflies, it can be challenging to find information on basic species biology due to research gaps.
Planning restoration and conservation projects for at-risk butterflies involves understanding how they overwinter and where, what their life cycle and host plants are as well as their nectar plants (for adults), and nesting habitat preferences. More complex questions like causes of decline or how management decisions may impact the species can be challenging. Increasing research efforts of rare and declining butterflies is critical to supporting these at-risk species.
