In celebration of Pollinator Week, we're excited to share an update about our work supporting a tiny but mighty species – the Poweshiek skipperling.

At the Zoo, our Grassland Butterfly Conservation Program works to support grassland-specialized butterflies at risk of extinction. Our focus has been increasing the population of the endangered Poweshiek skipperling. We collect their eggs and raise them in a protected environment before releasing them back into the wild each summer.

The species, once abundant across the prairies, experienced sharp population declines during the 1990s and 2000s. Contributing factors likely include habitat loss, pesticide use, extreme weather events, and climate change.

Last year, we celebrated a successful field season, releasing 175 butterflies to the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve (MTGPP). We also spotted wild-born Poweshiek skipperlings at a reintroduction site, as well as adult butterflies ranging beyond the release location — suggesting that wild populations are naturally expanding their range.

This year marks our Conservation and Research team's ninth season releasing this species back into the wild. We're thrilled to announce that last week, we spotted our first pupa (chrysalis) among the ones we're nurturing in our facilities — meaning our first butterfly emergence is just around the corner!

In the coming weeks, our team will head out to the MTGPP in the RM of Stuartburn to release our butterflies into the grassland prairies, the only place in Canada where the Poweshiek skipperling can still be found. We look forward to sharing updates on the releases as we work to keep this beautiful little butterfly from extinction!