My next 3D model set will be released in early July and features endangered Butterflies. As with most of my sets, its reason for being is two-fold; to create some great art and also make people aware of the incredible species we're in danger of losing. Maybe through showing some art, it will build some support for saving this species. In any case, here's the Miami Blue (rendered in DAZ Studio Iray). Once common throughout its range, it has become critically endangered, and is considered to be near extinction. Its numbers have recently been increased by a captive breeding program at the Florida Museum of Natural History. It is an Endangered species by the state of Florida and the federal government. It is listed as a Critically Imperiled subspecies by NatureServe. In 2003, the Entomology and Nematology Department at the University of Florida began raising and breeding Miami blues, starting from about 100 eggs collected in the wild. In 2004 they released 2,500 of the insects at selected locations. In August and September 2006 hundreds of captive-bred caterpillars and adult Miami blues were released on Elliott Key in Biscayne National Park. Miami blues have been reintroduced to Everglades National Park and Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park, but all of the attempts prior to May 2009 have failed. In November and December 2006, more colonies were discovered on Boca Grande Key and the Marquesas Keys in the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. The population on Bahia Honda died out in 2010, and conservation efforts were then focused on the colonies in the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. Another colony of breeding Miami blue butterflies was discovered in the Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge in 2016.