Caterpillars of the rare frosted elfin butterfly were released in north Florida as part of an initiative to reintroduce the species in the area. The reintroduction took place earlier this month at Ichetucknee Springs State Park, following three years of collaborative preparation by staff from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), Tall Timbers, the Florida Museum of Natural History, and the Florida Park Service.
The frosted elfin, currently being considered for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act, is a species requiring significant conservation efforts. It is one of Florida’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need. The butterfly has become rare or has vanished across much of its historical range in the eastern United States and southern Canada, but Florida retains some of the largest populations in the Southeast.
In an effort to bolster the population, a captive breeding program using wild-caught elfins from the Florida Panhandle was set up at the Florida Museum of Natural History. The program aims to release the bred individuals into suitable, though currently butterfly-free, habitats in north Florida. The selected sites are fire-managed sandhill areas with extensive patches of the butterfly’s host plant, sundial lupine.
During the release, the juvenile frosted elfin caterpillars were placed directly on sundial lupine plants to feed. The release strategy involved nearly matured caterpillars that were ready to descend into the leaf litter to start pupation. To enhance the reintroduction success, the team is also examining the impact of protective enclosures around the plants. Observations will continue through the next flight period, from February to April, to determine if adult frosted elfins appear.
This conservation project receives partial funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Additional information about the frosted elfin can be accessed through the FWC’s website under the species profiles section dedicated to invertebrates.
