Frosted elfin is a small butterfly that has declined precipitously in recent years

The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 4 awarded the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission $219,500 on January 1, 2026, under the State Wildlife Grants program (CFDA 15.634) to support frosted elfin butterfly habitat restoration, data collection, and captive breeding and reintroduction efforts aimed at preventing federal listing.

The recipient will collect data on frosted elfin population genetics, spatial distribution, habitat quality, and viability across priority North Carolina sites, then use that information to design and execute habitat restoration plans and launch a captive breeding program to establish new populations and augment existing ones. Performance extends through December 31, 2028, with work conducted in North Carolina.

Two sub-recipients deliver specialized components. North Carolina State University, funded under sub-award F26AP00215-WM-0398 (awarded January 30, 2026), characterizes host plant distribution and quality at Holly Shelter Game Land, surveys for frosted elfin larvae and adults, investigates butterfly movement among patches subject to prescribed fire, and collects tissue samples for region-wide population genetic analysis. The University of Florida, funded under sub-award F26AP00215-WM-0401 (awarded April 1, 2026), gathers genetic material from frosted elfin populations across Sandhills Game Land, Holly Shelter Game Land, and Chowan Swamp Game Land to fill data gaps on population genetics and health. The information generated informs the final federal listing determination on the frosted elfin.

The five recipient agencies and their contributing partners will collect necessary data to inform habitat restoration at priority sites where conservation action can be most cost effective. To augment existing sites and establish new populations the range wide team will launch a captive breeding and reintroduction program. These actions are intended to help avoid the need for federal listing.