Bill Text: IA HJR2 | 2017-2018 | 87th General Assembly | Introduced

Iowa House Joint Resolution 2 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: A joint resolution designating the regal fritillary as the official state butterfly of the State of Iowa.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-01-19 - Subcommittee: Baudler, Chair; Baxter and Bearinger. H.J. 101. [HJR2 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2017-HJR2-Introduced.html

House Joint Resolution 2 - Introduced




                                 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION       
                                 BY  WESSEL=KROESCHELL

                                      HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

  1 A Joint Resolution designating the regal fritillary as the
  2    official state butterfly of the State of Iowa.
  3 WHEREAS, the regal fritillary (Speyeria idalia) is one of
  4 Iowa's largest native butterflies with a wingspan that can
  5 exceed four inches; and
  6 WHEREAS, the regal fritillary is one of temperate North
  7 America's most striking butterflies with forewings that are a
  8 rich reddish orange with a number of irregularly shaped black
  9 spots and a deep orange=brown border, and hind wings that are
 10 a unique velvety, iridescent blue=black with cream and orange
 11 spots; and
 12 WHEREAS, the regal fritillary has statewide distribution,
 13 making it possible for Iowans to see adults flying in summer
 14 and early fall in association with native prairie habitats
 15 including upland and wet prairies; and
 16 WHEREAS, the regal fritillary is a univoltine species,
 17 meaning it takes one year for a single brood to complete the
 18 four stages of its life cycle; and
 19 WHEREAS, in the fall the female regal fritillary may lay up
 20 to two thousand eggs on the ground near the growing point of
 21 their host plant; and
 22 WHEREAS, soon after being laid the eggs hatch and the first
 23 instar larvae eat only their eggshells before hibernating and
 24 surviving the winter in their smallest form; and
 25 WHEREAS, in spring when the prairie violets, bird's=foot
 26 violets, and other native violets begin to grow the larvae come
 27 out of winter diapause or dormancy, to have their first host
 28 plant meal; and
 29 WHEREAS, most butterfly larvae have five larval instars, the
 30 regal fritillary is unique in that it completes six instars, or
 31 growth stages, before it makes a chrysalis; and
 32 WHEREAS, the adults live one to three months and feed
 33 on nectar, mostly from  milkweeds, thistles, blazing stars,
 34 coneflowers, and ironweeds; and
 35 WHEREAS, although the historic range of the regal fritillary
 36 covered the midwest, great plains,  and the northeastern United
 37 States, habitat losses east of the Mississippi river have
 38 shifted its presence, placing Iowa in the core of its current
 39 range; and
 40 WHEREAS, as efforts are being made in the state to preserve
 41 prairies and reestablish grassland habitats, the regal
 42 fritillary is the perfect symbol to represent the prairie
 43 heritage of Iowa, and the disappearance of this butterfly from
 44 the state would be a tremendous loss; and
 45 WHEREAS, the General Assembly supports efforts to designate
 46 the regal fritillary as the state butterfly and raise awareness
 47 of all native butterflies and insects in the state; NOW
 48 THEREFORE,
 49 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  STATE BUTTERFLY DESIGNATED.  The regal
  1  2 fritillary (Speyeria idalia) is designated and shall be
  1  3 officially known as the state butterfly of Iowa.
  1  4    Sec. 2.  APPROPRIATE REPRESENTATIONS.  The director of
  1  5 the department of cultural affairs shall obtain appropriate
  1  6 pictures and other representations of the regal fritillary
  1  7 and shall display the pictures and representations in an
  1  8 appropriate place in the state historical museum.
  1  9    Sec. 3.  OFFICIAL REGISTER.  The legislative services agency
  1 10 shall include an appropriate picture and commentary of the
  1 11 regal fritillary in the Iowa official register along with the
  1 12 pictures of the state rock, state flower, state bird, and state
  1 13 tree.
  1 14                           EXPLANATION
  1 15 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
  1 16 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
  1 17    This joint resolution designates the regal fritillary
  1 18 as the official state butterfly of Iowa.  The director of
  1 19 the department of cultural affairs is required to obtain
  1 20 pictures and other appropriate representations of the regal
  1 21 fritillary and display the pictures and information in the
  1 22 state historical museum.  The legislative services agency is
  1 23 required to include in the Iowa official register a picture of
  1 24 the regal fritillary along with pictures of the state rock,
  1 25 state bird, state tree, and state flower.
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