The last of the Xerces blue butterflies fluttered through the air in San Francisco in the early 1940s. Now, they can only be seen in glass displays at museums. These periwinkle pearly-winged ...

The Xerces Blue butterfly (Glaucopsyche xerces) was native to the coastal dunes of San Francisco, in the United States. As the city grew, much of the butterfly’s habitat was destroyed and its ...

It’s been roughly 80 years since the Xerces blue butterfly was last spotted flitting about on pastel wings across coastal California sand dunes. But scientists are still learning about the insect.

New research suggests the iconic Xerces blue butterfly may have been its own species. By Sabrina Imbler More than a century ago, a bluish butterfly flitted among the sand dunes of the Sunset ...

Genetic sequencing links Silvery blue butterflies to extinct Xerces blue. From March through May 2025 scientists hope to see new generation of silvery blue butterflies emerge after introduction to ...

But a key piece of the puzzle was missing — until now. The Xerces blue butterfly, which serves as both pollinator and prey in the ecosystem, has been extinct since 1943. So scientists ...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — More than 80 years ago, a beautiful butterfly called Xerces Blue that once fluttered among San Francisco’s coastal dunes went extinct as stately homes, museums and parks ...

Biologist Durrell Kapan, Ph.D. of the California Academy of Sciences says the butterflies will be replacing a long-lost species called the Xerces Blue that went extinct in the 1940s. "The Xerces ...

A silvery blue butterfly, the closest relative to the extinct Xerces blue butterfly, is seen under netting after its release in the Presidio's restored dune habitat in San Francisco, Thursday ...