Historically, native populations of the Colorado butterfly plant also inhabited Boulder and Douglas counties in Colorado.
An Imperiled Front Range Native
The Colorado butterfly plant has already disappeared from all but one site in Colorado, largely due to degradation of its streamside meadow habitat. Non-selective herbicide spraying, haying and mowing at certain times of year, water diversion, land conversion for cultivation, competition from exotic plants, and urban sprawl are the main threats to this native wildflower. The last few Colorado butterfly plant populations are found only along Front Range stream corridors along the Colorado-Wyoming border, and one isolated population along the Wyoming-Nebraska border east of Cheyenne.
Natural History
The Colorado butterfly plant is a 2-3 foot tall plant with reddish, fuzzy stems and flowers that turn from white to red with age. Only a few flowers open at a time starting at the lower parts of the stem and working their way up. The fruits of the butterfly plant are hard and nut-like in appearance. There are very few known populations of the Colorado butterfly plant, located mostly in riparian areas on private land within a small area at the junction of Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado.
Conservation Status
-Threatened Species, Endangered Species Act
Action Taken
We pushed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to set aside Critical Habitat for this dwindling species, an essential part of protecting, recovering, and ultimately removing species from the Endangered Species Act list. Though the Service designated Critical Habitat for the Colorado butterfly plant in 2005, the 3,500 acres they eventually set aside covers less than half the area they originally proposed. We continue to monitor development threats to this native species, an indicator of healthy meadows and streams across the Front Range of Colorado and Wyoming.
Read More
US Fish & Wildlife Service Final Listing Rule for Colorado Butterfly Plant
