IOWA, USA ( Iowa Capital Dispatch ) - The Iowa skipper butterfly, once prevalent in prairies across the middle of the U.S., is now at risk of extinction — according to the Center for Food Safety, which has petitioned federal agencies to list the butterfly as an endangered species.

The Center originally filed a petition on the butterfly in March of 2023, but after several extensions and missed deadlines from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to make a decision, the Center has filed a notice of intent to sue over the delayed action.

Center for Food Safety holds that the Iowa skipper, a small bright yellow and orange butterfly, has lost most of its habitat due to agriculture and is further at risk by commercial pesticide spraying, climate change and invasive species.

Suzannah Smith, leg

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