Why the Mount Charleston Blue Butterfly is Being Protected

This little blue beauty is fairly rare; the Mount Charleston blue butterfly “lives in just a handful of alpine meadows on Mount Charleston above Las Vegas,” according to the Center for Biological Diversity. One of eight butterfly species endemic to the Spring Mountains, it’s been on the Endangered Species List since 2013. “One of its population strongholds is on the ski runs at the Lee Canyon Ski Area.” Which is why it was at the center of a lawsuit brought by the center after the U.S. Forest Service approved Lee Canyon Ski Area’s proposal to build new mountain biking trails through said habitat. Early this year, the parties reached an agreement that will protect the butterflies, fund further research into them, and allow the trails to move forward; they opened this summer.

Mount Charleston blue butterfly
Sciencey name:Caricia(Plebejus)shasta charlestonensis
Adult life span: Typically 1-2 weeks
But before that: Its caterpillar stage is “thought to last up to two years.”