South Florida’s beloved native butterflies are quickly becoming extinct species. And one of the prime suspects on the blame list — fire ants. Fire ants are extremely attracted to larva, and according to scientist Marc Minno, there is no way to stop the ants from attacking the butterflies and their eggs.

The scariest part of the interview with Minno is when he said, “if it is fire ants, butterflies and the southern part of Florida are in big trouble.”

If or when the butterflies go extinct, there is a very strong chance Florida will lose a part of their treasured heritage for good. There have been at least three species that appear to be extinct, and another is not far behind them.  Federal and state officials are working closely with Natural Areas Inventory to find out what types of butterflies are still active and ways to prevent them from going extinct.

to keep those little buggers out!