Oregon Zoo Butterfly Conservation Project

As a charter member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Butterfly Conservation Initiative, which includes nearly 50 zoos and aquariums, the Oregon Zoo is strongly committed to butterfly conservation.

The butterfly conservation team at the zoo rears and releases native threatened species, propagates host plants, researches special habitat needs, visits sites during adult flight season and assists with on-site habitat management.

The Oregon Zoo started working with the Oregon Silverspot in 1999, with the Taylor’s Checkerspot in 2004. These are complex projects that have grown over the years. The Oregon Zoo partners with many other agencies on these projects including U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Nature Conservancy and the Woodland Park Zoo.