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Lists of endangered and extinct insects are always dominated by butterflies. Butterflies are charismatic daytime flyers that visit flowers on sunny afternoons. So, it is easy to understand why people notice when they disappear. No doubt, countless species of insects are on the brink of extinction, or already gone, which we will never know about because they are small, dull, or hide from view. Small gossamer-wing butterflies (blues, coppers, and hairstreaks) in particular are often limited to open habitats in small geographic ranges with very specific food plant requirements. A new housing development or golf course can easily erase a population. For instance, the Xerces blue butterfly, first described in 1852, once graced the sand dunes of San Francisco’s shoreline, but went extinct in the 1940s as a result of urban development. Extinction is forever, and awareness is our best weapon to combat it. See “The Intriguing World of Insects” on display, pre-security, in the International Terminal. http://bit.ly/IntriguingInsects . . . This image was posted on August 21, 2019.

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