GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — In the face of increased pesticides, climate change, and loss of habitat, the John Ball Zoo (JBZ) is working to save a federally endangered species of butterfly.
“We are dependent on biodiversity for our food, clean air and water, so John Ball Zoo and our partners are doing what we can to make sure this species persists here in Michigan,” said Bill Flanagan, conservation manager at John Ball Zoo.
The zoo and its conservation partners raised Mitchell’s satyr— a small brown butterfly with a dangerously dwindling population.
They expect to release 50 Mitchell’s satyrs to bolster the wild ecosystem and have created a captive breeding group as insurance against extinction.
Mitchell’s satyrs make their homes in Michigan’s prairie fens, a grassy wetland typically fed by a source of groundwater. Fens support pollinators and, over time, can turn into bogs.
“The rapid decline of the Mitchell’s Satyr coincides with the decline of so many other species that use the same habitat in Michigan,” he said. “When the satyrs do poorly, so do many other species. By working to reverse this trend, countless other species will benefit.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) scouted sites to release the Mitchell’s satyrs where the population can be monitored—last year’s release is already having an impact, says Kaitlyn Kelly, biologist for the FWS.
“The ‘head starting’ efforts that John Ball Zoo performs, in partnership with Michigan State University, gives us hope that we can increase healthy population numbers across the landscape to move towards recovery." Kelly said.
John Ball Zoo is launching a new guest experience to inspire future generations through continued education on the importance of supporting this work.
“You can save countless species in your yard by creating a more habitable space for insects, birds and people,” Flanagan said.
He and the zoo encourage everyone to get involved saving this species and the long chain of species they support by becoming a Habitat Hero and using native plants in gardens and landscaping and avoiding the us of neonicotinoids, a common pesticide.
