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This rare butterfly has found refuge at an unlikely place: a Pennsylvania military base

  • Marie Cusick
The Fort Indiantown Gap National Guard training center in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania is the only known habitat for the Regal Fritillary butterfly in the eastern U.S.

Marie Cusick/ StateImpact Pennsylvania

The Fort Indiantown Gap National Guard training center in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania is the only known habitat for the Regal Fritillary butterfly in the eastern U.S.

About a million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction. A stark United Nations report earlier this year found human activities are driving the decline.

The regal fritillary, a rare butterfly that’s nearly disappeared from the eastern United States, has found refuge in a surprising place — a National Guard training center in central Pennsylvania.

The training center welcomes hundreds of people each summer who want to see the “regals.” On a recent outing, despite a mixup that led to unexpected flights from military aircraft nearby, a group of visitors was not disappointed:

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