1,500 Endangered Butterflies Ready for Release in Minnesota

A butterfly species that nearly disappeared from North America is making a remarkable comeback, thanks to a breeding program that started with just 18 females.

The Poweshiek skipperling was once one of Minnesota's most common prairie butterflies. Over recent decades, habitat loss caused the species to vanish from nearly its entire range, surviving only in small pockets of Michigan and Manitoba, Canada.

In 2012, the Minnesota Zoo partnered with the John Ball Zoo in Michigan and Assiniboine Park Conservancy in Canada to save the species from extinction. The team worked to perfect captive breeding techniques, starting with those 18 female butterflies held at the Minnesota Zoo.

Today, thousands of zoo-bred butterflies have been released into the wild. Nearly 1,500 more will return to prairies in Michigan and Manitoba this July, marking one of the program's biggest releases yet.

"With every little step we are bringing this butterfly back closer to recovery," said Erik Runquist, conservation scientist at the Minnesota Zoo. The entire U.S. population may now trace back to those original 18 females.

The collaborative effort earned the three institutions the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' 2025 North American Conservation Award. It's recognition of years of careful work to understand the needs of a species that lives only one year and spends just two weeks as an adult butterfly.

The Ripple Effect

The success is creating possibilities beyond just stabilizing existing populations. Early indicators suggest the breeding program is working well enough that Minnesota could welcome back its namesake butterfly within the next few years.

Reintroduction efforts require careful preparation of critical habitats. Conservation teams are already working on new projects to ensure prairies can support returning populations.

The small butterfly, recognizable by tracking dots on its wings placed by different conservation groups, represents something larger than one species. "The world would be a lonelier place and smaller place without this butterfly," Runquist said.

From 18 females to thousands of thriving butterflies, this tiny prairie dweller proves that dedicated collaboration can reverse even the most dire conservation challenges.