CRAWFORD COUNTY, Wis. — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said it could use help from hobby gardeners to sustain a rare butterfly population. 

On a beautiful spring day in the driftless region, volunteers and DNR staff took over Hogback Prairie State Natural Area. It’s a wide open property with a huge hill in the middle. 

“I went to school to become a wildlife biologist, but I didn’t realize that deer and turkeys really don’t need any help,” Armund Bartz, who has worked for DNR for 25 years, said. “It’s really the underdogs that I look out for, and that’s the rare plants, rare animals, and the rare habitats they live in.” 

That’s why staff and volunteers were there in the first place: To plant flowers for a rare insect. 

“The regal fritillary is… an area-sensitive butterfly,” Bartz said. “Which means they need a fairly large area to survive.” 

The regal fritillary is on the Wisconsin state endangered list, and is currently being considered for federal endangered status. Its population has dwindled statewide. 

“There’s maybe six or eight populations, but really there’s four populations that would be considered viable,” Bartz said. 

The butterfly can play a vital role in the ecosystem of a prairie landscape such as the one at Hogback Prairie State Natural Area. 

“They’re really good pollinators. This property actually has a state-threatened thistle on it— Hill’s Thistle,” Bartz said.

The regal fritillary can use the thistle for nectar, pollinating the rare plant. 

On top of that, the butterfly can be food for other species, especially birds.

The regal fritillary likes prairie environments, and loves violets. 

“If there’s not violets and the butterfly comes down here, apparently they randomly lay eggs,” Bartz said. “If it starts laying all its eggs down here, and there’s no host plant, now we’ve created a sink for the population where there will be no reproduction.” 

That’s why they’re planting all the bare root violets for the butterfly: To help the population reproduce and get stronger. 

“The regal fritillary really represents the prairie,” Bartz said. “It’s the butterfly of the North American prairie.” 

Throughout the summer, the DNR could use more gardeners to pitch in. They need more people to grow violets, collect the seeds, and donate them. 

For more information or to get connected to help out, contact Jared Urban at jared.urban@wisconsin.gov or 608-228-4349.