Missouri's official insect is a non-native, farm-managed honeybee. It's time a true Missouri native took the crown. Meet the Regal Fritillary.
The honeybee is lovely, and it's also imported livestock that's the official insect of fifteen other states. Missouri's prairies, woodlands and Ozark fens are full of spectacular natives with real stories to tell. We think one of them deserves the title.
Not native. Not wildlife. Not original. And, awkwardly, it can actually crowd out the wild bees it's supposed to symbolize.
Read the full case →
Speyeria idalia: a born-and-raised prairie native, claimed by no other state, riding a real conservation story, and one of the most spectacular butterflies on the continent.
Meet the candidate →Pledge your support for a state insect that's actually from Missouri, then tell your legislator.