A delicate pollinator is threatened

I want to bring your attention to the plight of the rare Puerto Rican harlequin butterfly. This beautiful and unique creature is in danger of disappearing forever.

These delicate butterflies, found only in Puerto Rico, are declining in number due to a variety of factors, including habitat destruction, pesticides and herbicides, wildfires, and climate change.

The harlequin caterpillar feeds exclusively on the prickly bush (Oplonia spinosa), once a prolific plant in the area. However, the forests where they grow have been widely cleared for urban development and agricultural use. Rugged coastal forests were less accessible. There, the harlequins were holding their own. These butterflies are known to be slow fliers with an observed range of about a half mile, less than one kilometer.

Climate change brought havoc to the harlequin butterfly populations by supercharging Hurricane Maria. Passing over ocean water, the hurricane picked up energy to go from Category 4 to Category 5 in about twenty-four hours. Category 5 hurricanes are four times as powerful as Category 4. Maria was the most intense tropical cyclone worldwide in 2017. In Puerto Rico, Maria caused the worst electrical blackout in US history and blew away much prickly bush along with other vegetation.

This is not just a tragedy for the butterflies themselves, but it is also an example of the continuing threat to our ecosystems on a global scale. The forest and coastal shrub habitats of these delicate butterflies are home to many other threatened and endangered species.

Thankfully, conservation efforts have started, as the US Fish and Wildlife Service has listed the harlequin butterfly as threatened. Officials are securing lands, and volunteers are planting prickly bushes to conserve butterflies and many other species.

We must work together to preserve and protect our natural environment so that future generations can enjoy the beauty and diversity of our planet. Will you join our movement to protect our ecosystems and donate $3 to Global Warming Solutions?

Together, we can make a difference and ensure that these two-inch orange, brownish-black, and beige butterflies and the ecosystems on which they depend thrive for generations to come.

Rob