Endangered butterfly spotted in southwestern Ontario for first time in 3 decades
More than a dozen mottled duskywing butterflies were spotted in Pinery Provincial Park on Lake Huron this spring. It’s the first time the butterflies have been seen in southwestern Ontario in three decades, after being declared an endangered species in 2012.
The sighting is thanks to a program to help reintroduce the species.
“About 80 per cent of butterfly of introductions in the world fail in their first year,” said Ryan Norris, with the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph. “So for us to be successful in our first attempt is absolutely wonderful.”
The team said they haven’t saved the species yet, but called it a promising first step.
“To see our work come to fruition and have it be successful this way. I was just on cloud nine all day. I still am,” said Jessica Linton, senior biologist with Natural Resource Solutions Inc. “Some of them actually produced a second generation of butterflies last summer. And their prodigies are the ones that emerged this spring.”
The mottled duskwing butterfly was declared endangered species in 2012. (Submitted/Jessica Linton)
The Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory played a big part in the initial success of this program. For the last few years the conservatory has been helping the female butterflies survive before they’re released into the wild.
“What we do in captivity is really protect them from threats like predators and viruses and we increase their survival rate,” said Adrienne Brewster, executive director at the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory.
The conservatory is now preparing to take on another batch of females.
Adrienne Brewster from the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory and Ryan Norris work in a field at Pinery Provincial Park last summer. (Submitted/University of Guelph)
“Last year I think we had around 25 females that we brought in,” said Brewster. “This year we hope to bring as many as 40 to support our program and each one of them could potentially be laying between 200 and 300 eggs.”
The next steps will be to continue to count and monitor the existing butterflies at Pinery Park, allowing the team to learn more about what can be done to keep the species alive for longer before the next batch gets released.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Bayer recalls hydraSense baby product over 'potential contamination'
Bayer announced Thursday it is recalling two lots of its hydraSense Baby Nasal Care Easydose due to a potential contamination.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.