Decades after a US butterfly species vanished, a close relative is released to fill gap

By HAVEN DALEY and OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ
Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Wildlife experts are bringing butterflies back to the Presidio National Park in San Francisco as part of an effort to restore native ecosystems. The park was once home to the Xerces Blue butterfly, which is believed to be the first butterfly species in the United States to be driven to extinction after the dunes that were its home were converted to houses, parks and museums. Officials said Monday that the Presidio Trust and other organizations worked to restore the butterflies’ habitat. San Francisco scientists identified the Silvery Blue butterfly as the closest living relative of the extinct Xerces Blue and last week dozens of the insects were released in the park.