The Poweshiek skipperling is one of the most endangered species on the planet. Minnesota Zoo researchers are working tirelessly to save the prairie butterfly from extinction. Last year, the national media outlet FiveThirtyEight published a powerful and poetic article on the collaborative efforts to keep the Poweshiek skipperling — and hope for its future — alive. Now the article written by Maggie Koerth has been printed in the anthology Best American Nature and Science Writing 2023. We’re honored that this profile of our wildlife conservation work is included with other outstanding writing on science and the natural world.

Read “The Butterfly Effect” by Maggie Koerth.

The Poweshiek skipperling is an endangered prairie butterfly. In partnership with many agencies, the Minnesota Zoo’s Prairie Butterfly Conservation Program is studying the reason for their decline.