Hurricanes Push Schaus' Swallowtail Butterfly Past 10,000

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A rare butterfly species found only in South Florida shows surprising population growth after hurricanes strike its habitat.

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Scientists tracked the Schaus' swallowtail butterfly for 35 years on Elliott Key, a remote island near Miami, to understand its survival patterns.

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Hurricanes initially harm the butterflies by stripping trees and flooding the land, but this destruction leads to an unexpected benefit.

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When storms clear the dense forest canopy, sunlight reaches the forest floor, triggering rapid growth of fresh leaves that baby butterflies need to survive.

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The butterfly population swings dramatically between fewer than 100 to over 10,000 individuals depending on weather patterns and storm activity.

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Research teams battled heat, humidity, and mosquitoes every spring since 1985 to collect data that revealed this surprising connection.

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Climate change poses a new threat, as increasingly powerful storms could overwhelm the butterfly's ability to recover and rebuild its population.

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Scientists have started moving groups of butterflies to different protected areas to prevent a single storm from wiping out the entire species.

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The Schaus' swallowtail was among the first insects placed on the U.S. endangered species list, making this discovery crucial for its survival.

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