Butterflies vanish from Florida refuge

No confirmed Miami blue butterflies have been seen in Bahia Honda State Park in Florida since July 2010, and with each passing day it becomes less likely any exist there. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last August issued an emergency listing of the Miami blue as an endangered species and three similar butterflies — cassius blue, ceranus blue and nickerbean blue — as threatened. The emergency listing continues through April, and federal officials may make it permanent.