Decades-long study shows endangered Schaus benefits from hurricanes

Sometimes, nature’s surprises come with wings. In a new study, scientists pulled from a 35-year dataset to examine long-term population trends of the federally endangered Schaus’ swallowtail butterfly (Heraclides ponceana). They found that the swallowtail’s population size was positively influenced by something unexpected — hurricanes.

“This study is among the longest running for a tropical butterfly, and it has been a privilege to get to work with such an amazing dataset,” said Sarah Steele Cabrera, a doctoral candidate at the University of Florida and lead author of the study.

Read the entire Florida Museum article HERE.