Florida reintroducing glowing caterpillars

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is working to reintroduce a rare caterpillar that glows in the dark under certain conditions. Staff from the Florida state agency, the Florida Park Service, the Florida Museum of Natural History and Tall Timbers—a research institute dedicated to studying prescribed fire—have been preparing for three years to reintroduce the species to Ichetucknee Springs State Park in northern Florida. Frosted elfin butterflies (Callophrys irus) are difficult to survey as they are only in flight for two weeks every year. But researchers have increased their success by extending their survey period through the several weeks during their caterpillar phase when the creatures fluoresce when exposed to black light, making them easier to spot at night. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently considering the species for listing under the Endangered Species Act because it has become rare or disappeared entirely from many parts of its historic range in the eastern U.S. and southern Canada. Researchers established a captive breeding program for the butterflies using wild-caught individuals from Florida’s Panhandle.

Read more at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.