Saint Francis' Satyr Butterfly
An endangered species found only in North Carolina
The Saint Francis' Satyr Butterfly
Commonly known as the Saint Francis butterfly, the scientific name of this species is Neonympha Mitchellii Francisci. It was discovered in 1983 and only lives in two counties in North Carolina.
Location
The Saint Francis' Satyr only lives in Cumberland and Hoke counties in the North Carolina sandhills.
Why is the Saint Francis' butterfly in danger of extinction?
When people kill beavers, it cause a spiral effect. Because there are no longer dams, there are no ponds, and because there are no ponds, there is no way that the meadows Saint Francis' butterflies are born in could form.
Because the meadows can no longer form, Saint Francis' butterflies can not find their food source, sedge plants. This means that the butterflies have no food and die.
Because of this spiral effect, only 1,000 Saint Francis' Satyr butterflies survive today in a 20 acre radius. They are at danger of becoming extinct because they have such small numbers.
What is being done to protect the Saint Francis' Satyr butterfly?
The answer: not much.
The Saint Francis' Satyr population is in such a small area that only a handful of people know about it. However, the butterflies are protected because they live on Fort Bragg, which is usually protected from habitat loss. This has not stopped the Saint Francis' Satyr from becoming one of the rarest species of butterflies in the world, however, and the butterflies that were once common are now all but extinct.
Works Cited
http://www.fws.gov/raleigh/es_tes.html
http://www.fws.gov/raleigh/species/es_st_francis_satyr.html
https://naendangeredspecies.wikispaces.com/Saint+Francis+Satyr+Butterfly
http://www.fws.gov/nc-es/insect/stfrancis.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/weeds/umbrella-sedge-information.htm