Cloudcroft Checkerspot: A rare butterfly in New Mexico

A photo of the Lincoln Forest and Sacramento Mountains, as well as a zoomed in photo of a mural in Cloudcroft, New Mexico showing the Cloudcroft Checkerspot.

I recently had the opportunity to accompany my husband on his work trip to the mountains of New Mexico. We stayed in a small house at his worksite in the Lincoln National Forest. While there, I learned about the Cloudcroft checkerspot butterfly, also known as the Sacramento Mountains checkerspot.

Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico.

This butterfly is amazing because it occupies a very narrow band of habitat in the Sacramento Mountains. Its historical range is unknown, but its present range is a mere 32 square miles. The total suitable habitat for the butterfly within that range is only 2 square miles, so it occupies an absurdly small area! This means the Cloudcroft checkerspot is an endemic species.

A photo of the Cloudcroft checkerspot found at the Lincoln Forest Ranger Station.

An endemic species is a plant or animal native to a specific geographic area and not found elsewhere. Endemic species are important because they increase biodiversity. Unfortunately, the often small and isolated populations of endemic species make them more vulnerable to threats such as habitat loss and climate change. In the case of the Cloudcroft checkerspot, it faces a variety of threats such as invasive species, livestock grazing, habitat loss, pesticide spraying, fire suppression and more. Sadly, it is listed as endangered by US Fish and Wildlife.

A digital display featuring local wildlife, including the Cloudcroft Butterfly, at Sunspot Observatory.

This checkerspot’s habitat could be described as high-altitude mountain meadows that are surrounded by mixed conifer forests. The host plant for the Cloudcroft checkerspot is the New Mexico penstemon, also known as beardtongue. The New Mexico penstemon is also an endemic species. While the adult checkerspots feed on a wide variety of plants, they are often found on orange sneezewort.

A beautiful mural in the small town of Cloudcroft, New Mexico. The checkerspot can be found in the lower right hand corner.

The Cloudcroft checkerspot has a two-inch wingspan. Its wings have a checkered pattern in the colors of black, red, orange and white. It looks similar to our Baltimore checkerspot, but there are distinct differences with both the pattern and coloration.

View from a park in Cloudcroft, New Mexico.

While the population of Cloudcroft checkerspots has been declining over the years, the residents of the nearby town, Cloudcroft, seem aware and proud of their butterfly. I learned about the butterfly at Sunspot Observatory and the nearby ranger station for Lincoln National Forest. I also saw the butterfly featured on a mural in Cloudcroft and I read about a local advocate for the butterfly who attends events like an Earth Day celebration at the local zoo to teach people about it. It was only listed as endangered in 2023. I’m optimistic that this butterfly will find the support it needs in the community to continue surviving.

Sunspot Solar Observatory visitor’s center is where I first learned about the Cloudcroft checkerspot!

I couldn’t see this butterfly in person while I was there, but it was neat to learn about this rare species and know that I was so close to its habitat. Endemic species are fascinating!

A view of the mountains from Sunspot Observatory in New Mexico.