More than 200 endangered butterflies released in Manitoba this summer
The Assiniboine Park Conservancy released more than 200 endangered butterflies back into the landscape this year.
The organization announced the results of its butterfly release program on Thursday, saying it set a new record with the release of 207 butterflies.
This year’s release included 191 critically endangered Poweshiek skipperling butterflies, which were released over three weeks in July at the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s properties in the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve in the RM of Stuartburn.
This year’s program also included the release of 16 endangered Dakota skippers.
Ashleigh Westphal, a research conservation specialist with the Assiniboine Park Conservancy, said they are thrilled with the results of the breeding and release program, and are excited about what it means for the future of these endangered species.
“When we started the release program in 2018, experts estimated there were only about 100 Poweshiek skipperling butterflies remaining in all of Canada,” Westphal said.
“We released six butterflies that year. The growth of the program and results so far are very encouraging, but we have a long way to go before this species will be secure in the wild.”
This is the fifth year the conservancy released Poweshiek skipperling, and the first time for the Dakota skippers.
This summer, the Assiniboine Park Conservancy released more than four times the number of adult butterflies it released in 2021.
The conservancy said the ongoing success of its breeding program will help the future of these endangered butterflies.
“We have seen encouraging results from our population surveys in locations where we have done releases. This suggests our efforts may be helping to stabilize the population at these specific sites. However, we will need to analyze the new data collected this summer to get a better picture of the trends,” Westphal said.
“In the future, we hope to work with partners to reintroduce Poweshiek to sites where they have been lost."
Both Poweshiek skipperling and Dakota skippers are habitat specialists, which means they need specific grassland ecosystems to survive. However, much of this habitat has been lost.
The organization notes that habitat loss, as well as climate change, extreme weather events, and the increased use of pesticides, have contributed to population declines.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada Disability Benefit needs to safeguarded from clawbacks, MPs unanimously agree
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
BREAKING Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Turfing Poilievre from House a clear sign of desperation by Trudeau Liberals
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Your body needs these three forms of movement every week
Movement is movement, right? Not exactly. Here’s what your body is looking for in addition to your morning walk or yoga session, according to experts.
Six Canadian children repatriated from detention in Syria, Global Affairs Canada says
The Global Affairs Department says six Canadian children have been repatriated from detention in northeastern Syria.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Quebec to limit sperm donations per donor after 3 men from same family father hundreds of children
Quebec is looking at tightening the regulations around sperm donation in the province following the release of a documentary that revealed three men from the same family fathered hundreds of children.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.