Several Pacific Northwest butterfly species are almost extinct. To bolster populations, we annually raise thousands of butterflies and release them in the wild. The project also helps restore habitat.
Butterflies are threatened by habitat loss and the destruction of native plants that provide food and shelter. Entire ecosystems are in turn threatened by the loss of butterflies, which are crucial plant pollinators. Oregon Zoo keepers raise Oregon silverspot and Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies in captivity and then release them in the wild to bolster shrinking populations. Staff also grow the species’ primary food sources, native plants like blue violets, and then plant them at release sites.
Staff annually raise 6,000+ caterpillars (hatched from eggs laid by adult butterflies in the Zoo’s lab) and then release them in the wild as late-stage caterpillars or chrysalides. Staff also grow plants for caterpillar food and habitat restoration.
The project will release butterflies to help rebuild wild populations; it will also help restore habitat, making it easier for the species to become self-sustaining. Butterflies pollinate plants, so ensuring their survival protects entire ecosystems.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Excel file (projdoc.xls).
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