Photo: Entomologický ústav Biologického centra AV ČR
After more than a century, the Apollo butterfly, one of Europe’s most threatened butterfly species, has returned to the Krkonoše Mountains, where it once used to thrive. Earlier this month, conservationists reintroduced the first 55 males of the rare species to several locations in the national park.
The Apollo, known in Czech as Jasoň červenooký, is a large white mountain butterfly with distinct red spots on its wings. Once a common sight across Europe, its populations have rapidly declined in recent decades.
In Czechia, it went completely extinct about a century ago as a result of mass catching by butterfly collectors, but mainly due to the loss of its natural habitat.
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Author: Ruth Fraňková