Kaileigh McLaughlin, Stone Bridge Middle School
Monmouth County
Appalachian Grizzled Skipper
Hi, I'm an Appalachian grizzled skipper butterfly. My species in endangered and I'm here to tell you all about us, why we're endangered, and how you can help.
Our species is very small (about 1.1" to 1.3" or 29-33mm) We are grayish-black and we're hard to distinguish from the more common checkered skipper that looks very similar to us, but there are ways to tell who's who. For example, we are a little smaller, and we have less markings on our wings than the checkered skipper. And the ones we do have on the upper wing surface tend to be less aligned. We're found in open, barren areas like oak or pine forests. Mainly in the Appalachian Mountains because we require the presence of our larval host plant, the dwarf cinquefoil.
We are endangered for many things. Like shortages in food plants and habitat loss, but the main reason why my species is scarce is because there have been major decreases in our populations because of nasty insecticide targeted at controlling gypsy moth larvae.
There might be many reasons why we're endangered, but there are more ways you can help. You can do something like plant dwarf cinquefoils, not use insecticide, not pollute our area, and so much more! Tell your friends and family about our endangerment so you all can help. And remember, we're not the only species who's endangered. There are many, many others! But if we all do our part in helping them, maybe, just maybe, all those species won't be endangered anymore. Do you part in saving them, and take a stand. You can help them everyday. You can start now.
Kaileigh McLaughlin
Stone Bridge Middle School
Allentown, NJ
J. Schappell