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Butterfly Tops List of Threatened Species in Minnesota

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Friday, November 20, 2015   

ST. PAUL, Minn. - A species of butterfly that calls Minnesota home is perilously close to becoming extinct. The Karner Blue butterfly is on a list of the top 10 "most isolated" species in the United States.

According to the Endangered Species Coalition, these animals and plants all share one thing in common: Their habitats are being fragmented by manmade structures. Derek Goldman, a field representative for the coalition, said that in the case of the butterflies, roads and buildings have encroached on their homes.

"We're seeing what has been called the 'sixth great extinction' right now," he said. "We're in a period of incredible species decline and, for some of these species, these are their last populations."

The report, called "No Room to Roam," noted that the Karner Blue butterfly population has dropped by 99 percent, and its territory once stretched from Maine to Minnesota. That's no longer the case, as the butterfly is now living in about half the states it used to, according to Melissa Smith, also a field representative for the coalition. Even in the states where the butterfly can be found, she said, its numbers have significantly dropped.

"I know there's only one isolated population in Minnesota, in the southeast corner, and that's the only place that they're known to be in Minnesota now," she said. "So, I would say it's pretty critical that Minnesota may not have a Karner Blue butterfly in the near future."

As with the other nine species listed in the report, Goldman said, the Karner Blue butterfly needs more protections if it is to survive.

"Habitat loss and fragmentation, it's one of the biggest drivers of species decline and extinction," he said. "And really, we owe it to future generations of Americans to protect the special places that wildlife need to survive and migrate to."

The full report is online at endangered.org.


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