The Uncompahgre Fritillary Butterfly

Symbolizes: Hope
Due to its extraordinary rarity, there are almost no existing videos or photographs of the Uncompahgre Fritillary Butterfly. The butterfly shown here is a close visual representation of this elusive alpine species.

Delicate and nearly invisible to the untrained eye, this tiny mountain butterfly is perfectly camouflaged against its rugged environment. Males are adorned with rusty brown wings patterned in dark, criss-crossed bars, while females appear slightly paler, blending into the alpine terrain.

With a wingspan of just one inch, the Uncompahgre Fritillary is among the smallest and most endangered butterflies in North America. It lives only in a handful of high-alpine meadows in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, at elevations near 12,000 feet. There, it depends entirely on the snow willow plant, which provides food and shelter for its larvae in a landscape shaped by snow, wind, and time.

Adults feed on nectar from alpine wildflowers, but their fragile existence is threatened by climate change, habitat loss, low genetic diversity, trampling by hikers, and even past specimen collection.

Only eleven known colonies remain, scattered like whispers across the high, cool ridgelines.

Let your purchase be a symbol of delicate resilience.
Each candle helps fund conservation work dedicated to preserving the fragile ecosystems that butterflies like the Uncompahgre Fritillary depend on to survive.

Illuminate your space and keep hope alive in the highest places.