A report says that a rare butterfly that was thought to be extinct is coming back to Florida.
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) wrote on Facebook on Saturday that the Atala butterfly, also called Eumaeus atala, had come back.
The SCCF said in a Facebook post that the Atala butterfly seems to be making a comeback because its host plant, the coontie, is becoming more popular in gardens and landscapes.
Sue Ramos, who works at the SCCF Native Landscapes & Garden Center, said in a statement, "The coontie is a hardy plant that grows well without much care."
"It grows well in full sun or full shade and in poor soils, which makes it perfect for our sandy soils," Ramos said.
The Florida Wildflower Association website says that people thought Atala butterflies were extinct in 1937, but in 1959, some of them were found.
The website says that in 1979, more Atala butterflies were found on an island near Miami.
Since then, the butterfly species has come back.
The Florida Wildflower Foundation says that the wings of an atala butterfly are black and velvety, with bright blue or green spots.
The Florida Wildflower Foundation says on its website that the underside of an Atala butterfly's wing has three rows of blue or green spots and a large red spot on the back wing.
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