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
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.