My endangered Butterfly models are finally out and here's Taylor's Checkerspot... It once was widespread in the San Juan Islands, southern Vancouver Island and the surrounding islands of British Columbia, as well as on coastal and inland grasslands, open prairies and gravelly out-wash areas of Puget Sound, Washington and Oregon. It was believed to have disappeared from Canada until 2005, when 15 Taylor’s Checkerspot butterflies were observed on Denman Island in B.C.’s Gulf Islands. According to one study, there are only 14 sites in the Pacific Northwest with Checkerspot populations that contain more than 50 individuals. It is at extreme risk of going extinct. It was listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 2013. The biggest threat to its survival is the loss of prairie habitat due to contemporary settlement. More than 99% of the lowland prairies has been destroyed. The reason for this is that prairies are prime locations for agriculture as well as development of all types due to the lack of trees and flat topography. Along with habitat loss the subspecies is impacted by pesticide use that makes their plight even worse. Increased risk of harm due to drought is another major concern since they are now stuck on these patches of habitat with no chance to migrate to more suitable places. WPC (Wildlife Preservation Canada) began conservation breeding of Taylor’s Checkerspots in 2013 in a converted aviary on Denman Island. Two years later, they began releasing caterpillars into restored habitats on the island. Today, breeding has been moved to facilities at the Greater Vancouver Zoo, where they can produce thousands of caterpillars each year.