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Endangered Butterflies Around The World |
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There are butterflies which are in danger of extinction around the world. Most if not all species now in danger are due to the activities of us humans. All around the world, important wildlife habitats are being lost through land 'development', road building, habitat fragmentation, pollution and financial greed. It is up to us all to stop this before we loose some of our most beautiful creatures for ever.
If you know of a particularly endangered species or work on a project working to prevent the extinction of a butterfly species anywher in the world and would like it to be added to this page. Please contact me. |
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Worlds Rarest Butterfly |
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Papua New Guinea - Queen Alexandra's Birdwing
 The worlds rarest butterfly is thought to be the Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae). It is also the largest butterfly in the world and lives in the rain forests of Papua New Guinea. |
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Rare or Endangered Butterflies Worldwide |
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Australia - Arid Bronze Azure
 The Arid Bronze Azure butterfly was last seen in Mallee woodland south-west of Kalgoorlie, in Western Australia, about 13 years ago. It is feared that it may now be extinct.
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Rare or Endangered Butterflies in the USA
The United States of America has a large number of endangered species, the vast majority caused by urban expansion and subsiquent habitat loss and the US governments lack of protection for their own natural environment.
Bay Checkerspot (California)
Behren's silverspot (California)
Callippe Silverspot (California)
Carson Wandering Skipper (California and Nevada)
Dakota Skipper (Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota)
El Segundo (California)
Fender's Blue (Oregon)
*Great Skipper
*Island Marble
Karner Blue ()
Laguna Mountains Skipper (California)
Lange's Metalmark (California)
Lotis Blue (California)
Mardon Skipper (Washington, Oregon, California)
Miami Blue (Florida)
Mission Blue (California)
Mitchell's Satyr (Indiana, Michigan, Ohio)
Myrtle's Silverspot (California)
Oregon Silverspot (Oregon)
Palos Verdes Blue (California)
Pawnee Montane Skipper (Colorado)
Quino Checkerspot (California)
Sacramento Mountains Checkerspot (New Mexico)
Saint Francis' Satyr (North Carolina)
*Sand Mountain Blue (Nevada)
San Bruno Elfin (California)
Schaus Swallowtail (Florida)
Smith's Blue (California)
Taylor's (Whulge) Checkerspot (Oregon, Washington)
Uncompahgre Fritillary (Colorado)
*Wandering Skipper (California)
Full species descriptions for all species listed above is available on the Butterfly Conservation Initiative (BCI) web site.
* not listed on the BCI web site
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USA (New York) - Karner Blue
 The Karner Blue was first discovered in 1861 by Vladimir Nabokov in Karner, New York. It is a subspecies of the more common Melissa Blue butterfly. The Karner Blue butterfly was once described as being so numerous as to cover the fields of its habitat "in a sea of blue."
However, since then the population of this insect have declined by over 99%. Since 1992, the Karner Blue butterfly has been listed as a federally protected endangered species under the US Endangered Species Act of 1973.
Photo © Jeffrey S. Pippen
Find out more about the Karner Blue
[+] Butterfly Conservation Initiative
[+] New York State Department of Environment and Conservation
[+] The Nature Conservancy
[+] The Nature Conservancy |
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USA (Florida) - Miami Blue
 The Miami blue (Hemiargus thomasi bethunebakeri) is a small, brightly coloured butterfly endemic to Florida. Ever-expanding urbanization and the associated loss of coastal habitat have all but eliminated the Miami Blue from the south Florida mainland. In recent years, this alarming trend of decline has continued in the Florida Keys. Once abundant and widespread, the butterfly has become considerably more rare and now only occurs in a single small, isolated colony site within the boundaries of Bahia Honda State Park on Bahia Honda Key in the Lower Florida Keys.
Find out more about the Miami Blue
[+] Butterfly Conservation Initiative
[+] US National Parks Service
[+] See entry on Wikipedia
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USA (Nevada) - Sand Mountain Blue
 The Sand Mountain Blue butterfly can only be found at a popular Nevada recreation area. It is thought that it has been saved from extinction but it is still critically endangered. It is found on Sand Mountain, which is 600 feet tall and stretches for two miles. It attracts about 50,000 off-roaders (jeeps, buggies and motorbikes).
Federal land managers closed dozens of off-road vehicle trails at the Sand Mountain Recreation Area to protect the dune's shrubs and the butterfly's only known home. |
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USA - Island Marble Butterfly
 The Island Marble was thought extinct for over 90 years until it was rediscovered on San Juan Island in 1998. Less than 3% of the highly endemic butterfly's habitat remains and only 1000 are thought to have survived. In 2005, mismanagement and herbicide spraying killed dozens of larvae at a key site, San Juan Island National Historical Park American Camp. |
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USA (Los Angeles) - Palos Verdes Blue
 With just over 200 Palos Verdes Blue (Glaucopsyche lygdamus palosverdesensis)butterflies remaining in the wild, this is one of Americas rarest butterflies. The vast majority are to be found on a 330 acre military fuel depot near the Port of Los Angeles on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.The butterfly lives on military land... the U.S. Defence Logistics Agency and the U.S. Navy have invested many thousands of dollars in helping it, with support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy and other groups
Find out more about the Palos Verdes Blue
[+] Butterfly Conservation Initiative
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USA (Oregon) - Fenders Blue
A threatened plant, Kincaid's Lupine (Lupinus sulphureus sp. kincaidii) is the larval host plant for the endangered Fender's Blue butterfly (Icaricia icarioides fenderi). Both species have suffered from nearly complete loss of their native dry grassland habitat found only in Oregon's Willamette Valley.
 Thought to be extinct for more than 50 years until an Oregon lepidopterist rediscovered it in 1989, there are only about 3,000 found in the wild.
The Fenders Blue survival is severely threatened by urban sprawl, which has destroyed much of the upland prairie where it lives.
Find out more about the Fenders Blue
[+] Butterfly Conservation Initiative |
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USA (California) - Wandering Skipper
 The Wandering Skipper (Panoquina errans), is one of the rarest butterflies of California. Politicians prevented the Wandering Skipper from being placed on the federal government's endangered species list.
The political decision not to list it by the Secretary of Interior was apparently based on the needs of this butterfly for beaches and wetlands, precisely where development interests have staked their claims.
Photograph © Ron Hemberger |
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USA (San Mateo County) - Bay Checkerspot
 In the early 1990's, the Bay Checkerspot (Euphydryas editha bayensis) butterfly saved Edgewood Park from becoming a golfcourse. The butterfly's endangered status prevented the course from being built. And now, the people who love the park have saved the Checkerspot.
Photograph © T. W. Davies
Find out more about the Bay Checkerspot
[+] Butterfly Conservation Initiative |
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USA (Eugene) - Great Copper
 In 2004, the Great Copper butterfly (Lycaena xanthoides), a species thought extinct since the 1970s, was discovered in prairie land in the West Eugene wetlands
Photograph © Kim & Mike Strangeland |
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