LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The U.S. Forest Service is doing what it can to make sure the Mount Charleston Blue Butterfly can survive.
The butterfly which can only be found in the Spring Mountains in on the endangered species list.
“They are only about the size of a dime,” according to Jamie Altier a Biological Science Tech with the Forest Service.
Altier and about a dozen other state and federal officials were out at Lee Canyon near the ski resort recently planting what looks like small patches of grass in open areas.
It’s in those patches where the butterflies deposit their larvae.
“We have 1500 plants that we will put in the ground by the end of the year,” said Altier.
The larvae stage can last up to 2 years and can endure both extreme cold and hot temperatures.
The Forest Service has set aside 5000 acres of land in the Spring Mountains in hopes that the butterfly will survive and eventually get off the endangered species list.
Once the butterflies hatch and reach flight stage their life expectancy is only a few weeks.
There are four other species of butterflies in the Spring Mountains that are considered to be sensitive, meaning they are facing some level of threat.
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