Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory helps make butterfly history

NEWS RELEASE
CAMBRIDGE BUTTERFLY CONSERVATORY
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Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory has made history by participating in the first-ever reintroduction of an endangered butterfly in Ontario. 

The mottled duskywing butterfly (Erynnis martialis) was first listed as endangered in 2012 and is now seen only in very few select areas in Ontario in extremely limited numbers. Their decline is largely related to the destruction of their unique habitat which includes oak savannas, tallgrass prairies and alvars.

The work to realize this provincially historic and significant conservation effort has been collaborative and long in the making. Over the past four years, Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory’s Conservation team has been developing a captive rearing protocol for this species to support its reintroduction to the wild. 

Controlled rearing of butterflies in captivity is a common conservation practice; it greatly increases the number of butterflies that can be released by reducing their exposure to disease, predators and parasites.

In early June, 24 female mottled duskywing butterflies were collected in Hastings County, Ontario and brought to the Butterfly Conservatory’s Conservation Lab. In just two months, the Conservatory team was able to raise over 1200 caterpillars, half of which will be returned to the collection site. The remaining half are destined for the Pinery Provincial Park in the coming weeks. 

Mottled duskywing butterflies once occupied the Pinery, but they were last seen over 30 years ago as a result of changes to their habitat, over browsing by deer, and the use of pesticides.

“Butterflies are important indicators of a healthy ecosystem. They are fragile and quick to react to change. The habitat restoration efforts made by the Pinery Provincial Park have made the return of the mottled duskywing possible but will also benefit the ecosystem as a whole,” said Adrienne Brewster, Executive Director & Curator. 

Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory is part of the Ontario Butterfly Species at Risk Recovery Team, a multi-partner network that is working collaboratively on the recovery of the endangered Mottled Duskywing across Ontario. 

The Ontario Butterfly Species at Risk Recovery Team is comprised of members from government departments, parks and conservation authorities, conservation organizations, academic institutions, relevant private organizations, as well as expert entomologists and restoration practitioners.

Once the team has released and reintroduced the species, the work then begins to establish and maintain self-sustaining populations across Ontario.

“This is just the beginning. We are so excited for the future of this species and to take this important step in butterfly conservation,” said Brewster.

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