The Nature Conservancy in Utah

On the Brink

Risk of extinction is very high for the autumn buttercup, which lost most of its historic Utah habitat to impacts from grazing and other agricultural activities.

Autumn Buttercup
© Joel Tuhy

Find Out How You Can Help

If you are interested in learning how you can support the Conservancy's efforts to protect native species like the autumn buttercup, contact us at utah@tnc.org or (801) 531-0999.

Unique Seedling Reintroduction Project May Save the Autumn Buttercup
This June, 200 endangered, native Utah autumn buttercup plants completed the final leg of a long and complex re-introduction process at The Nature Conservancy’s rare plant preserve near Panguitch. The plants’ journey included seed harvesting in Utah, in vitro production in Cincinnati, and a soil acclimatization process in Flagstaff, Arizona. On June 4, the nurtured buttercup seedlings were planted back at the preserve in Panguitch, where botantists hope they will take root and flourish. This incredible journey marks a cutting-edge scientific effort to save this Utah species from extinction.

A Native Flower on the Brink of Extinction
The autumn buttercup is a stunning native beauty. The perennial, bright yellow wildflower can grow up to 2 feet tall, and is found one place on Earth: the Sevier Valley in south-central Utah. In 1996, the rare flower made the endangered species list, as grazing and trampling by livestock, and other agricultural practices has destroyed most of the flower’s historic habitat.

In 1991, The Nature Conservancy, with help from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, acquired and fenced much of the species' remaining habitat near Panguitch. But the preserve protects only a small, existing population, and subsequent habitat surveys, population monitoring, and genetic studies had botanists worrying that this plant could still be lost to future generations. A new strategy for species survival was needed.

Cutting-Edge Botanical Science
Botanists devised a bold and creative plan: re-introduce autumn buttercups grown in captivity to the suitable habitat within the Conservancy’s preserve. Two years ago, project partners collected seed from the Utah preserve to use as a starting material, and then propagated individual plants from 35 genetic lines to produce over 200 rooted shoots in vitro at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. The plants were then transferred to the Arboretum at Flagstaff, Arizona, for growing, under close care, and monitoring, where the autumn buttercup plants were acclimated to soil in pots. Finally, the Conservancy and botanists from Utah Valley State College identified suitable locations, and on June 4, they will replant the seedlings at the Conservancy’s preserve – effectively bringing a new population of this endangered species to life in the wild.

A Model of Re-Introduction Success
The Conservancy and its partners will closely monitor the success of this re-introduction. Volunteers and botanists will be conducting regular surveys to see how the young plants progress. If successful, botanists agree this re-introduction could be a deciding factor in the survival of this and other native flowers. The US Fish and Wildlife Service, which already provided an $18,000 grant in support of the project, aims to provide additional funding to re-introduce even more buttercup seedlings to the Conservancy’s preserve. All partners plan to share the tactics and lessons learned with local governments and agencies interested in doing similar restoration projects around the state and throughout the West.