What if one day you discover the world has no butterflies? Their velvety wings, dashing through the garden, a moving pop of colour in a world of darkness.
Butterflies are not just there for aesthetic purposes. Their most important job is pollinating; a reduction in butterfly populations can mean a reduction in plant diversity, since wild plants and flowers will struggle to reproduce. They are also sensitive to environmental shifts. As bioindicators, they can help assess the health of the environment.
In Canada, a species of butterfly disappeared from Ontario in 1988 and has not been recorded there since. But now, nearly four decades later, it could flutter back. Scientists are preparing to bring it back, with plans to breed the butterflies in captivity and release them into restored habitats in the province.
Meet the frosted elfin (Callophrys irus), a small, rather understated butterfly with delicate wings and a greyish-brown hue. Unlike its more flamboyant cousins, this species is not particularly colourful. Its wingspan measures just 22 to 24 mm, making it easy to miss if you are not looking closely.
The butterfly was historically found in southern Ontario, particularly around St. Williams, near the northern shores of Lake Erie. It favours open oak-pine woodlands and nearby clearings where its preferred food plant, wild lupine, grows.
The frosted elfin is also a non-migratory species, meaning it does not travel long distances. It depends on its existing habitat, unable to escape unfavourable conditions; thus making the loss of its natural surroundings particularly difficult to overcome.
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