Federal wildlife officials proposed listing a butterfly once prevalent in Oklahoma grasslands as threatened.
On Monday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommended seeking protections for the regal fritillary, a large, silver-spotted, orange and blackish-gray butterfly.
The western regal fritillary lives in the native grasslands of the central and northern Great Plains and portions of the Midwest. The butterfly can be found in 14 states, including Oklahoma.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife's assessment found the western regal fritillary is not in immediate danger of extinction but is likely to be in danger of extinction in the foreseeable future due to habitat loss, urban development, pesticide use, invasive plants, climate change and drought.
The service is seeking protections for the species which would prohibit anyone from importing or exporting, harming, killing or trapping, possessing or transporting, or selling the butterflies. Exceptions to the proposal include livestock operations such as grazing, controlling weeds, mowing and prescribed burning.
While the regal fritillary’s potential threatened status is worrying, Oklahoma is making strides with other butterflies. The Oklahoma Natural Heritage Inventory has undertaken a project over the past six years assessing the status of frosted elfin butterfly populations. With these updated records, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing if the species may warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act.
Comments on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal may be submitted online or by mail during the 60-day public comment period.
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