Endangered Butterflies Find Their Wings

Have you ever heard of a Poweshiek skipperling? This small butterfly with a big name used to flutter freely across Minnesota prairies until habitat loss and pesticides led to population collapse. Now, they are critically endangered; there has not been a confirmed sighting of a wild Poweshiek skipperling in Minnesota since 2008. The Minnesota Zoo’s conservation team is working hard to change that.

Since 2016, the Zoo has been working to rear and release Poweshiek skipperlings to support the survival and growth of North America’s few remaining wild populations. This year, the Minnesota Zoo and its partners at the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Poweshiek Skipperling International Partnership initiated the first ever Poweshiek skipperling reintroduction to new prairie land in the United States.

This groundbreaking reintroduction marks an important milestone in the effort to save this critically endangered butterfly. If reintroduction of this new population is successful, it will pave the way for species recovery across the range, meaning, one day, Poweshiek skipperlings may fly across Minnesota prairies again.

This year the Minnesota Zoo helped to rear and release over 1,300 Poweshiek skipperlings to new and existing homes in eastern Michigan — the largest release to date! This groundbreaking program is directly funded by donors like you. Thank you!