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ICYMI — we almost did, but it’s spectacularly good news: Earlier this month, the state announced that two endemic Hawaiian insects thought to be all but extinct have been seen in unexpected places.
In May and June, endangered Hawaiian Blackburn’s sphinx moth caterpillars were seen on Molokai, at Halawa Valley and Kalaupapa, for the first time since the 1940s. The elusive Hawaiian damselfly was spotted on Hawaii island for the first time since 1923. On both islands, the species had been thought to have vanished.
The discoveries bring hope for the continued existence and recovery of these, and other, endangered species.