Editor’s Note: Dispatches from a Sinking State is a contributor series from The Marjorie featuring first-person accounts of the environmental changes Floridians are witnessing across the state. This essay was funded by the Schooner Foundation.

All photos and text by Geena Hill.

Insects are disappearing at an alarming rate, a trend that signals deeper concerns about the health of the environments they inhabit. Butterflies and moths often serve as indicators of ecosystem health, and their decline is evidence of a growing imbalance in the natural world. Many of these insects, especially native butterflies and moths and those that live only in Florida, have highly specific habitat requirements. They rely on specialized land management techniques, such as prescribed fire, and thrive in rare environments that are increasingly disappearing. 

However, because of Florida’s growing human population and misconceptions about the importance of fire in our natural communities, many fires are suppressed. Regular prescribed fire not only lessens the chance of catastrophic wildfires, but also restores and maintains natural habitat conditions, creating a more open, diverse landscape for these butterflies and other wildlife. 

As a Florida transplant from the north, I’ve worked as a conservation biologist and photographer in the state for over a decade now and have found my home in the swamp and other habitats that harbor an incredible diversity of plants and insects. Capturing these elusive butterflies and moths in their natural habitats presents a significant challenge, as many of these species are difficult to detect and often inhabit remote or inaccessible areas. 

This photo essay highlights conservation work focused on documenting and understanding these insects, using photography as a tool to deepen our knowledge of their biology and ecology. The images here offer an intimate look into the rarely observed areas of Florida’s unique and fragile habitats—pitcher plant bogs, sandhills, swamps, and remote islands in the Florida Keys—that are home to rare butterfly and moth species. Each image offers a window into a world typically glimpsed only by the insects themselves and the wildlife that shares their fragile homes.

As Florida faces rampant population growth and rapid development, these photos serve as a stark reminder of what is at stake. They show us not only a close focus on the species we are featuring, but also situate them in the habitats they rely on for survival, giving us a full picture of the delicate balance of Florida’s threatened ecosystems.

Arogos skipper

An arogos skipper butterfly nectars on a thistle flower at a wildlife management area in central Florida. Due to consistent prescribed fire that maintains the arogos skipper habitat and promotes the persistence of necessary plants upon which this butterfly relies, this is one of the only areas where the butterfly can be regularly observed.

This species historically experienced frequent, but sporadic fire throughout its habitat,  allowing sections to regenerate with ideal conditions for growth, while nearby unburned areas continued to provide refuge for organisms in adjacent areas. Prescribed fire is one way we can replicate historical habitat conditions for this species and ensure there are adequate nectar and host plant resources available.

Two arogos skipper butterflies nectar on rayless sunflower, one of their preferred nectar plants that blooms in the fall. Outside of a few specific conservation lands in central Florida, the arogos skipper is incredibly rare and likely wiped out from most of its previously occupied areas due to threats such as habitat fragmentation and inconsistent land management activities.

The western Panhandle is the only other place to find this butterfly in Florida, and even there, it can be extremely difficult to detect due to its small size and low population numbers.

This upland pine habitat was recently burned and shows an impressive display of blazing star in north Florida. Prescribed fire has benefited this area by recycling nutrients back and enriching the soil, essentially acting as a natural fertilizer and promoting new plant growth and prolific blooms.

Over time, these frequently burned areas will experience a reduction in thick underbrush, making space and sunlight available for diverse native species to thrive. Conservation lands with appropriate habitat and regular prescribed fire are vital for the survival and persistence of the arogos skipper. As development continues across the state and areas continue to experience the effects of climate change, these conservation lands act as refuges for these small, rare butterflies and other wildlife. 

Dukes’ skipper

The Dukes’ skipper preferred habitat is small marsh microhabitats within larger interconnected swamp systems. This endemic butterfly subspecies was not discovered in Florida until the 1970s due to the harsh environment of its habitat and the rarity of encountering it in the wild. The swamp habitat can be difficult to traverse and is rarely surveyed due to thick muck, biting flies, and deep, inundated conditions.

Once in the swamp, I begin to see the beauty of these dark, mysterious habitats and wonder about the structure of the vegetation that creates the ideal microhabitats for the Dukes’ skipper. Areas such as this show breaks in the canopy where trees have fallen due to a large storm event, which allows sunlight to penetrate into the ground of the swamp, creating open, marsh-like conditions for the butterfly’s host plants and other nectar plants to survive. 

A female Dukes’ skipper seen basking during a spring survey in 2024 following Hurricane Idalia, which made landfall in the Big Bend the previous fall. This encounter was unexpected as much of the habitat experienced significant storm surge and canopy disturbance.

The small chip in the wing of the butterfly can be seen to show the weathering of the female butterfly. She was collected and laid eggs at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, which will be used in a captive colony for research purposes.

Frosted elfin

A wild late instar frosted elfin caterpillar feeds on its host plant, sundial lupine. These butterflies currently only exist within a few isolated areas in the western Florida Panhandle.

Conservation efforts are underway to restore and reintroduce frosted elfin populations across north Florida. While prescribed fire is an important management tool for their survival, many of their populations have been wiped out due to catastrophic fires that left no remaining refuge for the small butterflies.

A single frosted elfin butterfly rests atop a small leaf of sundial lupine. Both the sundial lupine and the frosted elfin populations are ephemeral, flourishing in the early spring each year. They require a delicate balance of environmental cues in order to coexist.

This specimen flew through my peripheral vision, landed on this leaf, and sat long enough for me to take a photo before flying off again, perhaps looking for the perfect spot to lay its eggs.

The frosted elfin deposits its eggs into the small crevices of sundial lupine flower buds. The eggs are tiny and camouflaged to be almost identical in color to the host plant, and the frosted elfin female butterflies are able to perfectly wedge their eggs into these buds to protect against potential predators. 

Longleaf sandhill habitat in the Florida panhandle is the ideal habitat for frosted elfins. While there may be larger swaths of this habitat that remain in the Panhandle, only a small percentage of these areas actually contain suitable habitat for the frosted elfin.

This butterfly requires prescribed fire that mimics the natural fire regimes that occurred prior to human establishment in these areas, and few areas receive the adequate frequency and refuges that it needs to persist over time.

Miami blue

The endemic Miami blue butterfly was once common throughout coastal South Florida, especially around Miami and the Florida Keys. However, as the human population of Florida skyrocketed during the second half of the 20th century, the butterfly became increasingly rare as coastal habitats were destroyed to make room for human development.

Today, the only known populations can be found in the Key West and Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuges in the Florida Keys. They occur on isolated islands and can be found along beaches. This photo was taken during a helicopter survey over the Florida Keys.

Following a release of captive-reared endangered Miami blue butterflies, I was wrapping up data collection with Florida Museum of Natural History researchers at Long Key State Park. Several butterfly releases had occurred prior to this with mixed success.

As we walked back to the trailhead to collect our gear, I saw this pair of Miami blue butterflies mating. The pair allowed me to get close enough to snap a few photos as the light hit the blue iridescent spots on their wings. It was a special moment where we could admire these lab-raised endangered butterflies in their natural habitat.

It’s rare to see the iridescent blue color on the inside of the Miami blue’s wings. At the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, there is a large screened enclosure used for rearing Miami blue butterflies when there is an active colony. This enclosure was an opportunity to photograph these endangered butterflies up close as they were fueling up on nectar on various pollinator plants.

Miami blue caterpillars are known to interact with ants because they secrete a sugary substance from a small slit on their backs. In return, the ants provide protection against predators. The caterpillars can be extremely hard to find in the wild, oftentimes like finding a needle in a haystack since the populations are so small and their host plants can occur as large shrubs.

One of the easiest ways to find the caterpillars is by first finding the ants, and then following the ants along branches of the plant to see if they will lead you to the sugary-filled caterpillars.

Florida carpenter ants are one of the species of ants that are consistently found tending to the Miami blue caterpillars. While I reared them in a lab for my research, I often found them being quite protective of their little caterpillars. 

Surveying for the Miami blue requires long field days on a boat to access remote islands in the Florida Keys. 

Pitcher plant moth

What comes to mind when we think of pitcher plants is the ability of these plants to deceive, lure, capture, and digest various insects with their bright colors, fragrance, and nectar bait. There are certain insects, such as this pitcher plant moth, that have been able to adapt and overcome the tricks of these pitcher plants. This caterpillar builds silken lines to protect itself while it feeds on the inner tissues of the pitcher.

Microscopic analyses have even shown that they have specialized adaptations for clinging to the slippery interior walls of the pitcher. As they near pupation, they will weave silk over the top of the pitcher to protect against predators, then they will crawl to the bottom, chew a hole near the base of the pitcher to drain the fluids, and pupate just above the drainage hole.

Within Florida, this species of pitcher plant (Sarracenia flava) grows in the Panhandle and is found in nutrient-poor bogs. Their unique strategy for finding nutrients is by catching insects and digesting them. Only 3% of the bogs that once existed through the southeastern U.S. remain today. Habitat loss continues to threaten these rare plants and the moths that rely on them. 

The flower buds of Sarracenia shoot up in the spring simultaneously with or just before the new pitchers form. The same environmental cues that trigger the flower buds to emerge likely also trigger the Exyra moth caterpillars in their dormancy to begin boring into and feeding on the blossoms. The crimson flowers are a great indicator to show how many of these plants occur in the ditches along roadsides that are overlooked the rest of the year when they are overgrown by other plants. 

This species (Sarracenia minor) has a helmet-shaped hood that excludes rain water. Pitcher plant moths often pupate inside these semi-protected pitchers to hide themselves from predators. 

 Pitcher plant moths are always found facing upright inside pitchers, with their heads at the top and their body facing downwards. This is likely so their feet may always properly cling to the interior slippery walls of the pitchers. The adult moths rarely leave the pitchers, and may do so only at night to mate or if they detect smoke from a fire.

While fire can kill these moths, it is an essential management tool for maintaining these pitcher plant bogs and should be conducted to ensure that adequate habitat remains to act as a haven for relict organisms. Without fire, these bogs would not exist and would likely transition into overgrown, successional areas. As is the case with most fire-dependent communities, prescribed fire brings more good to overall ecosystems than it does harm to individual animals.

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