Assiniboine Park Conservancy helping 2 endangered butterfly species return to wild

Once a common sight across the prairies, the Poweshiek Skipperling and Dakota Skipper are now two of the most endangered butterfly species in the entire world.

But thanks to the committed efforts of those at the Assiniboine Park Conservancy, these two species are being given a second chance, and are returning to their natural habitat.

“Poweshiek Skipperling are listed as critically endangered international, which is more at risk than giant pandas,” explained Laura Burns, conservation program manager at the Assiniboine Park Conservancy

“Manitoba is the last place in canada you can find the Poweshiek Skipperling and probably the last stronghold in the world.”

With both species suffering from the loss of their natural habitat, the conservancy has worked tirelessly over the past seven years to bring these butterflies back from the brink.

This past month, Burns and her team successfully released 270 of the endangered butterflies, which was the highest number released since the program began in 2017.

“Those numbers might not sound crazy high but in 2017 we only saw five Poweshiek Skipperlings in the wild at all. So we are seeing great success with our rearing program.”

But perhaps even more exciting, burns and her team also saw several signs that their hard work is helping save the species from extinction. Including the sighting of butterflies mating in the wild once being released.

“We saw a bunch of adults that we didn’t release at the site, that are most likely off-spring from last year’s release which is really incredible.”

Burns says while the insects themselves are small, they play an essential role in the grassland ecosystem.

“They are really sensitive to environmental changes and are our warning sign that we need to be doing more to protect that environment. So if we figure out why they declined we’ll likely be helping other species as well.”