What Happened
The regal fritillary (Argynnis idalia) is a large non-migratory butterfly historically known to occur in native grasslands on the east coast and throughout the Great Plains. On August 6, 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) proposed listing the regal fritillary under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The regal fritillary population consists of two subspecies: the eastern (A.idalia idalia) and the western (A.idalia occidentalis). Under the proposed listing, the eastern subspecies would be listed as an endangered species and the western subspecies would be listed as a threatened species with associated 4(d) rule provisions for take exemption. Exemptions covered under the 4(d) rule include routine livestock operations, fence construction and maintenance, livestock gathering and management, development and maintenance of livestock watering facilities, livestock grazing, non-broadcast noxious weed control, haying and mowing, prescribed fire, brush control, and mowing of rights-of-way and recreational trails.
The entire eastern regal fritillary population is isolated to the Fort Indiantown Gap National Guard facility in Pennsylvania. The western regal fritillary has a broad distribution that currently includes all or portions of 14 states: Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South…
