Only nine of these butterflies were found across the US in 2022; three years later researchers released more than 1,300 to rebuild the species

• By 2022, researchers had documented only nine Poweshiek skipperlings in the entire United StatesOn a summer day in Michigan, a tiny Poweshiek skipperling butterfly takes flight over a restored prairie.
• The butterfly is smaller than a quarter, but its return marks a major change for a species once feared to be close to extinction.
• Researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) and their conservation partners have helped bring the Poweshiek skipperling back from the brink.