Committee Endorses Bill For Ark. State Butterfly

A House committee has endorsed a bill that would designate the Diana Fritillary as the state's official butterfly.

The backers of the proposal told the Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development Committee Wednesday that designating the butterfly would help promote tourism at Mount Magazine State Park. An annual butterfly festival is held in nearby Paris each year.

Rep. John Paul Wells, a Paris Democrat and a co-sponsor of the bill, said the butterfly is unique. But he contrasted it with the ivory-billed woodpecker, when asked by legislators just how rare the butterfly is.

Wells said, "The difference between this and the ivory-billed woodpecker is we've actually seen these."