Scientists are scrambling to find the answer before it’s too late
The Poweshiek skipperling, a small, inconspicuous orange butterfly that once thrived throughout the prairies of the Midwest, has disappeared from most areas.
It is now found only in the far extremes of its former extensive range – in Manitoba, Canada and southeast Michigan.
The Poweshiek skipperling is not alone in its plight. Studies have shown that butterflies throughout the U.S. are declining, for unknown reasons. Multiple factors are suspected – chief among them habitat loss, pesticides and climate change – and it is likely that a combination of these factors is driving the losses.
But all is not lost yet. While the declines are alarming, glimmers of hope are emerging as scientists, conservationists and everyday people work together to save one tiny prairie butterfly from extinction.
This project tells the story of the Poweshiek skipperling, a Michigan township that is rallying behind it and the international coalition that is trying to bring it back from the brink.
It also dives into the science, searching out the researchers and studies that are starting to shed a light on the mystery of why so many butterflies – and indeed many insects – are disappearing around the U.S. and the world.
