Minnesota’s prairie butterflies and other pollinators are vanishing along with most of their habitat. The Dakota skipper, a beautiful prairie butterfly, is on the verge of extinction. But we can make a difference. The Minnesota Zoo’s Prairie Butterfly Conservation Program works with many partners to save Minnesota’s endangered prairie butterflies, studying reasons for their decline in the wild and breeding them at the Zoo for reintroduction to Minnesota prairies. And the Minnesota Zoo is the only place in the world that has a breeding program for these vanishing butterflies.

And you can help! The Minnesota Zoo is partnering with Fair State Brewing Cooperative, one of the top new breweries in the world, to re-release a limited edition brew featuring prairie grasses to help save endangered butterflies like the Dakota skipper.

When you order a Dakota Skipper Endangered Reserve, $1 goes to supporting the Zoo’s efforts to save pollinators through the Prairie Butterfly Conservation Program. This brew is as rare as the butterfly it’s named for and available for a limited time — from July 15 to August 19, or until the beer runs dry.

To celebrate the tapping of the first kegs, AZUL, Minnesota Zoo Young Advocates, is hosting a Butterfly Brew Tapping Party on Friday, July 15 where guests will get a first taste of this endangered brew. The tapping party starts at 3:00 p.m. at Fair State Brewing Cooperative and is free to attend.

Learn more about the Dakota Skipper Endangered Reserve and where you can find it, visit www.mnzoo.org/butterflybrew or email us at [email protected]. And share your own photos on social media with @AZULMNZOO, @mnzoo, & #butterflybrew.

Not a fan of beer? You can support this important work with a donation to the Prairie Butterfly Conservation Program. Click here to make a donation today!