Butterflies

Conservationists suing to block a geothermal power plant in Nevada where an endangered toad lives are seeking U.S. protection for a rare Nevada butterfly near another geothermal project the developer plans near the Oregon line. The Center for Biological Diversity petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service last week to list the bleached sandhill skipper under the Endangered Species Act. It says the project the government approved last year 250 miles north of Reno could ultimately lead to the extinction of the 2-inch-long butterfly with golden-orange wings. The center and a Nevada tribe have been in a court battle with Ormat Nevada since December over its other plant planned 100 miles east of Reno.

Monarch butterflies are now listed as endangered because of fast dwindling populations in North America. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature announced the designation on Thursday for the orange-and-black butterflies. The group estimates that populations have declined between 22% and 72% over a decade. After wintering in central Mexico, the butterflies migrate north to Canada. They breed new generations along the way that begin the return trip at the end of summer. The butterflies are imperiled by loss of habitat and increased use of herbicides and pesticides for agriculture, as well as climate change.