Should Iowa Have a State Butterfly?

Dennis Schlict of Center Point thinks so. And he'd nominate the Regal Fritillary (right) since it's a magnificent butterfly that's native to Iowa.

I talked to Dennis about the early appearance this year of butterflies in Iowa. (See yesterday's post and my Ramblin' column in the April 6, 2012, issue of The Gazette.)

What an education about butterflies. Dennis co-authored the book, "Butterflies of Iowa," published in 2007. It was a book nearly 40 years in the making, started by John Downey, a world-renowed butterfly expert and biology professor at the University of Northern Iowa when Dennis became a student.

Dennis' personal collection of butterflies includes more than 6,000 specimens, many of them collected by others. And he's not just interested in butterflies -- he and his wife, Linda, raise 50 varieties of heirloom tomatoes and they're accomplished woodworkers. Linda works at the Grant Wood AEA based in Cedar Rapids to assemble and delivere science kits to elementary schools in seven counties. One of those kits includes all of the basics about butterflies.

“You'll find a lot of second graders who know a lot about raising butterflies,” Dennis says. “You better be good with your stuff or they'll correct you.”

When it come to a state butterfly, a lot of folks in years past have suggested the Monarch. While it's a beautiful butterfly, it pretty much just passes through Iowa during its spring and fall migrations. Besides, seven states (Alabama, Idaho, Illinios, Minnesota, Texas, Vermont and West Virginia) all have designated the Monarch as either their state butterfly or state insect.

The orange and black Regal Fritillary (right) is nearly as beautiful and could be mistaken as a Monarch by people who don't know any better. But it stays in Iowa all year long. It lays eggs in the late summer and hatching caterpillar hibernate through the winter. In the spring, the short, black and yellow fuzzy caterpillars eat violets and soon turn into butterflies to start the annual cycle again.

Habitat loss, of course, as cut the numbers of Regal Fritillary as it has lots of other butterflies. But, of the 115 species in Iowa, it's one of the best known and recognized. And, fortunately, it has been found in all 99 of Iowa's counties. In fact, Dennis' collection includes mounted Regal Fritillary from all over.

"You wonder why there are so many," Dennis says. "I've got to prove I've got one from every county. That's why it should be the state butterfly."