BENTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — The slow, bobbing flight of the Mitchell's satyr is so rare, most won't see it in their lifetime.
For a short ten or so days in early summer, the critically endangered butterfly takes to the skies, though at a considerably low ceiling, fluttering ever-so-slightly above its springwater-fed wetland habitat, a fen.
Found at less than 20 places on the planet (and around eight in Michigan), the soggy acres of Sarett Nature Center near Benton Harbor are one of its few remaining hosts.
"The Mitchell’s satyr is the clue that something's gone wrong," said Nate Fuller, director of the nonprofit nature center. "If we can crack the code to understand what it takes to support Mitchell’s satyr, maybe we can heal those places."
The butterfly has been a part of Fuller's life since "before the turn of the century." He's seen it disappear from several wetlands, their delicate balance of life no longer able to support the satyr's fragile life cycle.
Whether it be by habitat loss, invasive species disrupting the flow of groundwater, or infection from bacteria, their numbers diminished until they'd "wink out."
“I'm not that old, and to witness extinction events in my lifetime really horrifies me," Fuller said.
At Sarett Nature Center, the director and his team yearly survey the satyr during its flight period, determining where butterfly is living within the fen, and what factors may be contributing to such a survival.
"Why do you care about a little brown butterfly? What's the point?" Fuller said. "This is one of the parts of the world that was here for thousands of years, and it's disappearing because of human action and human inaction. It's within our power to change that.”
Through public and private cooperation, Fuller believes the satyr can be saved, and that his and others' work is not simply prolonging an inevitable extinction.
"I had a discouraged conservation partner once describe it as 'butterfly hospice,'" Fuller said. "I'm much more of an optimist. I totally see it possible.”
Both John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids and the Toledo Zoo breed the butterfly in captivity, and the nature center's research can help determine where to best release it back into the wild.
An ecological canary in the coal mine, its success could have an impact beyond its two small wings.
"“Understanding the Mitchell’s satyr is understanding our groundwater. It’s understanding our water security," Fuller said. “Let's figure it out before it's too late."
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