Rare Poweshiek Skipperling, Found in Oakland County and Other Pockets, Endangered

The Poweshiek skipperling butterfly, which can be found near Holly in Oakland County, has been named to the federal endangered species list, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday.

The butterfly was once found in eight states and Canada, and now survives only in a few prairie remnants in Michigan, Wisconsin and Canada, according to a news release. Surveys show the Poweshiek skipperlings have vanished from about 96 percent of the sites where they once occurred.

It is uncertain if there are any existing Poweshiek skipperling populations in Minnesota, Iowa and the Dakotas.

The federal agency also extended protection for the Dakota skipper, saying the butterfly is threatened. The Dakota skipper’s numbers have also declined rapidly, no longer occurring on almost 75 percent of the sites where it was previously found.

Now, it is found only in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Canada.

To ensure their survival, more habitat must be preserved, the agency said.

“We recognize the reason we still have any Dakota skippers or Poweshiek skipperlings on the landscape at all is the conservation ethic of ranchers who have had the foresight to conserve grasslands in the Upper Midwest,” said Service Midwest Regional Director Tom Melius. “Our hope is to continue to work with landowners and partners to conserve these butterflies and the valuable habitat they depend upon.”

In Oakland County, the FWS proposed four tracts of land as critical habitat for the Poweshiek skipperling, The Flint Journal/MLive reports.

The skipperling is dark-brown butterfly with some light orange along the wing margins and a lighter orange head. The underside of the butterfly’s wings are dark to light brown with very prominent white veins that may make the wing look striped.

» Read more about the Poweshiek skipperling and Dakota skipper here.

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Photo: wisconsinbutterflies.com