A rare butterfly special: Mormon Metalmarks

The end of August is a great time to look for one of our endangered butterfly species, the Mormon Metalmark. This butterfly is quite small, with a wingspan of only about 3cm in length. Mormon Metalmarks are only found in the South Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys of BC in Canada. 

If you are looking for them, the best way to start is to find a plant called Snow buckwheat. Snow buckwheat is a larval host plant for Mormon Metalmarks, meaning they need this plant for their caterpillars to survive. One of the reasons the butterfly is endangered is a lack of snow buckwheat in the valley, so a great way to support them is by planting more.