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

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — More than 80 years ago, a beautiful butterfly called Xerces Blue that once fluttered among San Francisco's coastal dunes went extinct as stately homes, museums and parks ate up its habitat, marking the first butterfly species in the United States to disappear due to human development.

But thanks to years of research and modern technology a close relative of the shimmery iridescent butterfly species has been reintroduced to the dunes in Presidio National Park in San Francisco. Dozens of Silvery Blue butterflies — the closest living relatives of the Xerces Blue — were released in the restored habitat last week, officials said Monday.

Scientists with San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences utilized the Academy’s genetic sequencing capabilities and analyzed Xerces Blue specimens in their vast collection to confirm a group of Silvery Blues in Monterey County, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of San Francisco, could successfully fill the ecological gap left by the Xerces Blue.

“This isn’t a Jurassic Park-style de-extinction project, but it will have a major impact,” said Durrell Kapan, a senior research fellow and the lead Academy researcher on the project. “The Silvery Blue will act as an ecological ‘stand-in’ for the Xerces Blue, performing the same ecosystem functions as both a pollinator and a critical member of the food web."

The iconic butterfly, whose name inspired the Xerces Society, an environmental nonprofit that focuses on the conservation of invertebrates, went extinct in the 1940s.

Chris Grinter, the collection manager of entomology at California Academy of Sciences, said it all started by using their collections and "modern technology, genome sequencing to go back and extract genomes from these extinct butterflies that are over 100, 150 years old.”

Meanwhile, the Presidio Trust and other organizations worked to restore the butterflies’ native dunes, planting deerweed — a preferred host plant of the Xerces Blue and the Silvery Blue butterflies.

Wildlife experts collected dozens of Silvery Blue butterflies in Monterey County, marked them for future identification and transported them to San Francisco, feeding them a few drops of fruit punch-flavored Gatorade along the way.

The team will continue to track their movements using high-resolution photographs to identify their markings and learn ways to replicate the habitat regeneration lessons learned, officials said Scott Sampson, executive director of the California Academy of Sciences.

“The lessons we learn from the Silvery Blue here in our backyard could serve as a model for regenerating other ecosystems across California and beyond,” he said.

Jean Fraser, CEO of The Presidio Trust, speaks before the release of silvery blue butterflies, the closest relative to the extinct Xerces blue butterfly, in the Presidio's restored dune habitat in San Francisco, Thursday, April 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Durrell Kapan, Lead Researcher of Entomology with the California Academy of Sciences, talks about the release of silvery blue butterflies, the closest relative to the extinct Xerces blue butterfly, in the Presidio's restored dune habitat in San Francisco, Thursday, April 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Durrell Kapan, right, Lead Researcher of Entomology with the California Academy of Sciences, walks with Lew Stringer, of The Presidio Trust to release silvery blue butterflies, the closest relative to the extinct Xerces blue butterfly, in the Presidio's restored dune habitat in San Francisco, Thursday, April 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Durrell Kapan, Lead Researcher of Entomology with the California Academy of Sciences, displays a silvery blue butterfly, the closest relative to the extinct Xerces blue butterfly, before its release in the Presidio's restored dune habitat in San Francisco, Thursday, April 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Durrell Kapan, Lead Researcher of Entomology with the California Academy of Sciences, holds a pair silvery blue butterflies, the closest relative to the extinct Xerces blue butterfly, before their release in the Presidio's restored dune habitat in San Francisco, Thursday, April 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

People take a closeup view of silvery blue butterflies, the closest relative to the extinct Xerces blue butterfly, after their release in the Presidio's restored dune habitat in San Francisco, Thursday, April 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

A silvery blue butterfly, the closest relative to the extinct Xerces blue butterfly, is seen under netting after its release in the Presidio's restored dune habitat in San Francisco, Thursday, April 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Thursday declared Britain's defense attaché persona non grata and gave the diplomat a week to leave the country in response to London's decision to expel the Russian defense attaché earlier this month over spying allegations.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it summoned a representative of the British Embassy in Moscow on Thursday to express its “strong protest in connection with the unfriendly and groundless decision” to expel the Russian attaché from London. “We emphasized that we regard this step as a politically motivated action of clearly Russophobic nature, which is causing irreparable damage to bilateral relations,” the statement read.

Britain on May 8 announced several measures to target Moscow’s intelligence gathering operations in the U.K. Those included a decision to boot Maxim Elovik, a Russian colonel who the British government termed an “undeclared military intelligence officer,” rescinding the diplomatic status of several Russian-owned properties because they are believed to have been used for intelligence purposes, and imposing new restrictions on Russian diplomatic visas and visits.

The government said the measures followed criminal cases in London alleging espionage and sabotage by people acting on behalf of Russia.

It also cited allegations that the Russian government planned to sabotage military aid for Ukraine in Germany and Poland and carried out spying in Bulgaria and Italy, along with cyber and disinformation activities, air space violations and jamming GPS signals to hamper civilian air traffic.

In response, Russia's Foreign Ministry on Thursday announced the expelling of the British defense attaché Adrian Coghill, and vowed “further retaliatory steps.”

The U.K. has had an uneasy relationship with Russia for years, accusing its agents of targeted killings and espionage, including cyberattacks aimed at British lawmakers and leaking and amplifying sensitive information to serve Russian interests. After Russia sent troops into Ukraine, Britain has also sanctioned hundreds of wealthy Russians and moved to clamp down on money laundering through London’s property and financial markets.

FILE - The British Union flag flies from the front of British ambassador to Russia's car, next to the Russian foreign ministry building in Moscow, Russia, on March 17, 2018. Russia has declared Britain’s defense attaché persona non grata and gave the diplomat a week to leave the country in response to London expelling the Russian defense attaché earlier this month over spying allegations. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File)