By
2022,
esea che s
had
docume ted
o ly
i e
Poweshiek
skippe li gs
i
the
e ti e
U ited
States
O
a
summe
day
i
Michiga ,
a
ti y
Poweshiek
skippe li g
butte fly
takes
flight
ove
a
esto ed
p ai ie.
The
butte fly
is
smalle
tha
a
qua te ,
but
its
etu
ma ks
a
majo
cha ge
fo
a
species
o ce
fea ed
to
be
close
to
exti ctio .Resea che s
at
Michiga
State
U ive sity
(MSU)
a d
thei
co se vatio
pa t e s
have
helped
b i g
the
Poweshiek
skippe li g
back
f om
the
b i k.
Acco di g
to
the
u ive sity,
the
ecove y
effo t
has
i volved
aisi g
the
e da ge ed
butte flies
i
captivity,
esto i g
thei
habitat
a d
eleasi g
them
i to
the
wild.Resea che s
a e
ow
seei g
hu d eds
of
butte flies
at
some
sites,
a
majo
cha ge
f om
the
situatio
i
2022,
whe
o ly
i e
Poweshiek
skippe li gs
we e
fou d
i
the
wild
i
the
US.“We
we e
actually
able
to
save
that
species
f om
exti ctio ,”
says
David
Pavlik,
a
esea ch
assista t
at
MSU’s
WK
Kellogg
Biological
Statio
a d
Joh
Ball
Zoo.
“We
eleased
102
butte flies
i
2022
a d
mo e
tha
1,300
butte flies
i
2025,”
he
p oudly
adds.I
the
ea ly
stages
of
the
p og am,
esea che s
we e
simply
t yi g
to
stop
the
species
f om
disappea i g
f om
the
few
populatio s
still
fou d
i
Michiga .
Today,
some
butte flies
a e
eleased
to
st e gthe
existi g
populatio s,
while
othe s
a e
used
to
establish
ew
o es.
Ni e
to
mo e
tha
1,300
The
Poweshiek
skippe li g
was
o ce
fou d
ac oss
much
of
the
Midwest,
f om
Iowa
a d
the
Dakotas
to
Michiga
a d
southe
Ca ada.
Howeve ,
its
umbe s
bega
falli g
apidly
i
the
ea ly
2000s.By
2022,
esea che s
had
docume ted
o ly
i e
Poweshiek
skippe li gs
i
the
e ti e
U ited
States.
At
o e
stage
du i g
the
ecove y
p og amme,
mo e
butte flies
we e
bei g
kept
i
captivity
tha
existed
i
the
wild
a ywhe e
i
the
wo ld.That
made
captive
b eedi g
a
impo ta t
pa t
of
the
effo t.
Resea che s
aised
the
butte flies
befo e
eleasi g
them
i to
suitable
habitats.
Mo e
tha
1,300
captive- ea ed
butte flies
we e
eleased
i
2025,
compa ed
with
102
i
2022.“The
most
exciti g
thi g
about
this
esea ch
is
sta ti g
to
see
butte flies
i
the
field,”
said
Bill
Fla aga ,
co se vatio
ma age
at
Joh
Ball
Zoo.
“I
2022,
the e
we e
a
g a d
total
of
i e
butte flies
fou d
i
the
US
Now
we’ e
seei g
hu d eds
of
them
i
these
sites.”
Michiga
becomes
efuge
Michiga
has
played
a
impo ta t
ole
i
the
su vival
of
the
Poweshiek
skippe li g.
The
state
is
su ou ded
by
the
G eat
Lakes
a d
has
a e
p ai ie
fe
wetla ds,
which
p ovide
impo ta t
habitat
fo
the
species.Today,
the
Poweshiek
skippe li g
su vives
i
o ly
a
few
locatio s
i
southeast
Michiga
a d
i
o e
populatio
i
Ma itoba,
Ca ada.
“Michiga
is
a
st o ghold
fo
these
species,”
Fla aga
said.
“We’ e
the
pe fect
place
to
help
save
them.”Most
of
the
wo ld’s
emai i g
p ai ie
fe s
a e
fou d
i
southe
Michiga .
These
habitats
have
bee
esto ed
by
the
Natu e
Co se va cy
a d
othe
la d
ma age s,
c eati g
places
whe e
the
butte flies
ca
su vive
a d
ep oduce.“Without
co se vatio
effo ts
like
this,
the e
would ‘t
be
these
habitats
whe e
these
species
ca
th ive,”
Pavlik
said.
“Resto i g
p ai ie
habitat
be efits
ot
o ly
Poweshiek
skippe li gs,
but
also
ma y
othe
a e
species.”
A
sho t
wi dow
The
ecove y
wo k
is
difficult
because
of
the
butte fly’s
life
cycle.
Poweshiek
skippe li gs
spe d
ea ly
thei
e ti e
lives
as
cate pilla s.
They
eme ge
as
adults
fo
o ly
about
two
weeks
each
summe .That
sho t
adult
pe iod
gives
esea che s
a
limited
oppo tu ity
to
elease
a d
t ack
the
butte flies.
Missi g
that
pe iod
ca
mea
losi g
a
e ti e
yea
of
co se vatio
wo k.Resea che s
use
specially
desig ed
hoop
houses
to
ec eate
the
hot
a d
humid
co ditio s
of
Michiga ‘s
a e
p ai ie
fe s.
The
cate pilla s
a e
kept
i
i dividual
e closu es
a d
mo ito ed
as
they
develop.Befo e
elease,
each
butte fly
is
b iefly
a esthetised
a d
ma ked
with
a
Sha pie
so
esea che s
ca
ide tify
it
late .
Some
butte flies
a e
also
ma ked
with
a
small
dot
of
pai t.
This
allows
esea che s
to
t ack
thei
su vival
a d
see
how
fa
populatio s
sp ead
betwee
p ai ie
fe s.The
wo k
has
ow
expa ded
to
two
othe
e da ge ed
butte flies.
Resea che s
at
MSU
a d
Joh
Ball
Zoo
a e
aisi g
a d
ei t oduci g
the
Mitchell’s
saty
a d
Ka e
blue
as
pa t
of
the
G eat
Lakes
Ra e
Butte fly
P og am.
Both
species
have
bee
eleased
i to
thei
ative
habitats
this
summe .
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