St. Francis satyr

st francis satyr

Credit: Jenny McCarty

Limited in distribution to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, St. Francis’ Satyr (Neonympha mitchellii francisci) is one of the rarest butterflies in the United States. Its populations have been reduced by habitat loss, particularly by loss of wetland openings along streams where the butterflies persist. These wetlands are maintained by disturbance, mainly caused by beavers that create and then abandon ponds. Fire can also set back succession in these wetlands.

Our past efforts with St. Francis’ satyr focused on restoration to simulate the effects of natural disturbances caused by beaver and fire. While restoration efforts were temporarily successful in boosting populations, ultimately numbers declined again to critically low levels. It is currently unknown whether St. Francis’ satyrs still persist in the wild.

Past effort includes:

  • Regular monitoring of known St. Francis’ satyr populations on Ft. Bragg
  • Restoration activities to maintain optimal wetland habitat
St. Francis' satyr butterfly on sedge
St. Francis' satyr butterfly on grass stem with egg
St. Francis' satyr butterfly on sedge stem
Microscopic view of St. Francis' satyr butterfly wing
St. Francis' satyr butterfly on sedge
St. Francis' satyr butterfly on sedge
St. Francis' satyr butterfly on sedge leaf
Two St. Francis' satyr butterflies mating
St. Francis' satyr butterfly on sedge
Microscopic view of St. Francis' satyr butterfly
St. Francis' satyr chrysalis
Microscopic view of St. Francis' satyr butterfly scales
Microscopic view of St. Francis' satyr butterfly
Microscopic view of St. Francis' satyr butterfly chrysalis
Microscopic view of St. Francis' satyr butterfly eye

Publications

View our published St. Francis’ satyr research in our Rare Butterflies Publications.

Additional websites about St. Francis’ satyr

Our research on St. Francis satyr is funded by DoD, Department of the Army, Endangered Species Branch at Fort Bragg and the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program.