Proposal for state insect sparks debate

A bill recently proposed in Indiana State Congress rekindles debate over the importance and significance of official state insects.\nSenate Bill 67, authored by Sen. Rose Ann Antich-Carr, D-Merriville, proposes to name the Karner blue butterfly the official state insect of Indiana. The Karner blue is an extremely rare butterfly found only in a small area of Lake County. The idea is to crown the Karner blue and raise awareness of its status as an endangered species. Entomologists, though, are not convinced this is the best use of the "state insect" label. \n"This is not the right insect," said Tom Turpin, Purdue University entomology professor. "If you're going to have a state insect, why have an endangered one?"\nTurpin said to be effective, a state insect must be visible to the people of the state. \n"This insect is not visible," Turpin said. "It only lives in one county in the state, and even there the people don't see it because it's in such a state of flux. I just don't see many advantages of it."\nTurpin is not a newcomer to the state insect scene. In the mid-90s, Turpin, along with fellow Purdue entomologists, co-authored a bill assigning the state insect title to the Say's firefly, a popular and more abundant insect in Indiana. He points to the firefly's visibility as a great asset. \n"The Say's firefly is the best choice because people have a long history with it. There's nothing that brings the generations together like fireflies," Turpin said. "We've all collected them at one time or another. Grandpa did it. Dad did it. We did it when we were kids. It just makes sense."\nDr. Robert Waltz, Indiana's state entomologist, said either insect would make sense. \n"The firefly is a much more common insect, while the Karner blue -- although isolated in northwest Indiana -- is endangered," Waltz said. "There is a great controversy over whether the official state species should be the rarest one, seen by relatively no one, or a more common species that everyone can see."\nBut the controversy isn't new to Indiana, as the debate for a state insect has been battled for more than 10 years. After Turpin's bill was blocked in the Indiana State Senate, a group from Lake County proposed an initial Karner blue bill, which was eventually shot down. Although Indiana has never had a state insect, Antich-Carr's bill is the third one proposing it. \n"When the first Karner blue bill was submitted, the media tried to portray it as a 'dueling insects' thing, but there wasn't any of that," he said. "But still, the argument holds, if you're going to have an insect, why have an endangered one?"\nPurdue entomologist Larry L. Murdock said he would support the firefly as the state insect. "Fireflies are beautiful," Murdock said. "There's nothing more beautiful than a soybean field flashing with fireflies."\nThe debate is not exclusive to Indiana. In 1977, a fifth grade class from the Broken Ground School in Concord, N.H., authored a bill to make the ladybug the state's official insect. After heated debates, the bill was endorsed and passed unanimously. \nBut now, Indiana faces a more homespun debate between the Karner blue butterfly and the Say's firefly for the state insect. Waltz said the decision rests in the public's hands.\n"I think, ultimately, the choice for state insect will say something about who we are and what we value as a people, and that's the greatest aspect of this debate," Waltz said.\n-- Contact staff writer Rick Newkirk at renewkir@indiana.edu.