Dance of the Propertius Duskywing: A Butterfly on the Brink
Catalogue Number: 010047
Producer: Wilderness Committee
Producing Agencies: Wilderness Committee, Mike McKinlay Productions
Subject: Canadian Social Studies, Environmental Studies, Nature, Science, Social Studies
Language: English
Grade Level: 6 - 8, 9 - 12, Post Secondary, Adult
Country Of Origin: Canada
Copyright Year: 2012
Running Time: 6:00
In Canada, British Columbia is one of only two provinces (the other being Alberta) that does not have an endangered species law. Yet the province is home to more wild plant and animal species than any other province in Canada and is also one of the last holdouts for many large mammals that once roamed much of North America. Alarmingly, 1,900 species are on the provincial species at risk list. This video tells the story of the Propertius Duskywing butterfly (Erynnis propertius), one of over 100 rare and endangered species that rely on the Garry Oak ecosystem for their survival.
The Garry Oak habitat is one of the rarest ecosystems in Canada. Due to land development for agricultural, industrial and urban uses, less than five per cent of the original Garry oak habitat now remains intact in BC. Remaining sites are also threatened by invasions of exotic species, particularly plants, and fire suppression.
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