Neonympha mitchellii mitchellii

Mitchell's Satyr has been eliminated from Ohio and New Jersey. Critically imperiled in Indiana and at least imperiled in Michigan. There are two good occurrences in Michigan and, several smaller degraded occurrences, and a few strong populations in Virginia. Degree of threats is high northward and populations seem to typically be small (a few hundred or less). Habitat of northern populations itself is globally uncommon and few examples have this butterfly. Potential for natural colonization events now at best extremely low northward, unclear in Alabama. There are probably less than 20 really viable populations but the situation in Alabama needs to be determined. Small populations have died out due to apparently natural fluctuations, at least in Michigan. The species may be, or become, management-dependent, especially in North Carolina and Virginia, although current management is not a threat.

Very spotty within several widely disjunct regions which seem best treated separately, the only two substantial ones would be in southern Michigan and adjacent Indiana, and probably Alabama-Mississippi. Virginia and extirpated New Jersey populations were in a few adjacent counties each. Treating most of the eastern US as the range for the species would be misleading. Subspecies mitchellii occurred very disjunctly in calcareous regions along the last glacial maximum in northwestern New Jersey, a single site in Ohio, and with its main northern range along the Michigan-Indiana border. In the late 1990s and since, N. mitchellii populations were found in southwestern Virginia and in southeastern Alabama and Mississippi. Old reports from Ft. Meade, on the fall line in Maryland for this species are discounted as probable errors for N. helicta which produces variants with rounded eyespots and there are no specimens extant. Actually no species of Neonympha is known in or very near Maryland. However, potential former habitats there would seem to have have been possibly suitable for N. mitchellii considering the variety of habitats it is now known to use (Kuefler et al., 2008).

The number of discrete viable occurrences is unclear. The 17 "subpopulations" in Alabama (Kuefler et al. (2008) need to be better evaluated. Many of the more northern populations are apparently quite small and some may no longer exist.

Former threats and causes for decline included filling of habitats, overcollecting (New Jersey), ORVs (MI), possibly mosquito spraying. Federal listing has probably eliminated the threat from over-collecting and provides a lot of protection on Federal lands. While threats to some sites on private property could arise in the future, for now the threat level from direct human activities seems low, and in most places should remain so as long as ESA protection remains in place. However there are are possible serious threats to the habitat and all of these factors have destroyed or damaged similar habitats. Development of surrounding uplands could alter hydrology of habitats as is happening now to some fens in New Jersey. Beaver can destroy fens within a few days and create or destroy sedge meadows very quickly. Invasion by purple loosestrife and/or Phragmites can destroy habitats over a few years and is a threat at least northward. Excess deer herbivory can reduce or eliminate nectar sources although it is not known how important flowers actually are (Barb Barton has documented nectaring several times in Michigan). It is not known whether deer could seriously damage the foodplants or consume many larvae. While in most cases population sizes are not really known, it seems very likely some or even many are only dozens to around a couple hundred adults per year and certainly subpopulations often are. Since almost or quite all occurrences of subspecies mitchellii, unless maybe in Alabama, are now completely isolated there is a high risk of extirpation of smaller occurences during any natural "bad years" and a strong probability some loss of genetic variability has occurred in some populations. Climate change could eliminate populations if habitats become drier and thus more vulnerable to succession.