Michigan researchers release over 1,300 endangered skipper butterflies, reviving a near-extinct species
Scientists at Michigan State University and partners have released more than 1,300 captive-raised Poweshiek skipperlings, a dramatic rise from just nine wild individuals recorded in 2022.
A collaborative effort led by Michigan State University, the WK Kellogg Biological Station and John Ball Zoo has rescued the Poweshiek skipperling from the brink of extinction. After documenting merely nine wild butterflies in the United States in 2022, the team released 102 individuals that year and more than 1,300 in 2025, many of which are now observed in restored prairie fen wetlands. Captive breeding, habitat restoration by the Nature Conservancy and careful marking of each butterfly enable researchers to monitor survival and dispersal.
Michigan’s unique prairie fen ecosystems serve as a stronghold for the species, which also persists in a single Manitoba population. The program’s success has paved the way for similar reintroductions of the Mitchell's satyr and Karner blue butterflies under the Great Lakes Rare Butterfly Program.
Why it matters
Reviving a critically endangered butterfly shows how targeted habitat restoration and captive breeding can reverse species decline.
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