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The state insect is set in statute (RSMo §10.070), so changing it takes a bill, but the path is real, and citizens have walked it before.
The state insect is set in statute (RSMo §10.070), so changing it takes a bill, but the path is real, and citizens have walked it before.
A state representative or senator introduces a bill. Many state-symbol designations started exactly here, with a classroom or hobbyist group that found a willing legislator.
It clears committee, then wins a vote in the Missouri House and the Senate. Symbol bills are popular, bipartisan, and feel-good, which helps.
One signature and the Regal Fritillary is official. The crown is secured.
Don't know what to say to a legislator? Say this. Pick the message that fits you, tap copy, swap in your details, and email it to your representative and senator. Short, friendly and personal beats long and formal every time.
The straightforward ask: replace the honeybee with a true native.
Dear [Representative/Senator] [Last Name], My name is [Your Name] and I live in [Your Town], in your district. I'm writing to ask you to sponsor or support a bill naming the Regal Fritillary butterfly (Speyeria idalia) Missouri's official state insect. Our current state insect, the honeybee, isn't native to Missouri (it was brought from Europe in the 1600s), and fifteen other states already use it. The Regal Fritillary is a true Missouri native: a spectacular tallgrass-prairie butterfly that no other state claims, and one that still survives on western Missouri's prairies even after vanishing from most of its historic range. In 2024 it was proposed for federal Endangered Species Act protection. A state symbol bill is a small, bipartisan, feel-good act that would give Missouri a one-of-a-kind emblem and shine a light on our vanishing prairie heritage. If it is helpful, draft bill text in standard Missouri form (a one-sentence repeal-and-replace of section 10.070) is available at the campaign's website: [website address]. Thank you for your time and your service. Sincerely, [Your Name] [Your Town], MO [Email or Phone]
Many state symbols started as class projects. Here's the letter.
Dear [Representative/Senator] [Last Name], We are [a student / the students of Ms./Mr. ___'s class] at [School Name] in [Your Town]. We have been learning about Missouri's native insects, and we would like to ask you to sponsor a bill making the Regal Fritillary butterfly Missouri's state insect. Here is what we learned: the Regal Fritillary is a big, beautiful orange-and-silver butterfly that lives on Missouri's tallgrass prairies. Its caterpillars can only eat violets! It is disappearing across America, and Missouri's prairies are among the places where it still survives. Our current state insect, the honeybee, actually comes from Europe and is the symbol of fifteen other states. We think Missouri deserves a symbol that is truly ours. Many state symbols started with a class like ours, and we hope you can help make this one official. Thank you for reading our letter! Sincerely, [Names / Class, Grade] [School Name], [Your Town], MO
Pro tip: fill in the [brackets] and add one personal sentence about why the prairie or this butterfly matters to you. Personal notes get read.
Look up your Missouri House member and send a short, friendly note asking them to sponsor or support the bill.
OPEN LOOKUP →
Do the same with your Missouri Senate member. Two short messages can put a symbol bill on someone's radar.
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Changing a state symbol takes one section and one sentence. We drafted it in standard Missouri form, modeled on the 1985 act that named the honeybee, so a sponsor's office can start from something concrete. Bracketed text comes out of the law; bold text goes in.
______ REGULAR SESSION
______TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE ____________________
To repeal section 10.070, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof one new section relating to the official insect of the state of Missouri.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Section 10.070, RSMo, is repealed and one new section enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as section 10.070, to read as follows:
10.070. The [native "honey bee", scientifically designated as apis mellifera,] regal fritillary butterfly, scientifically designated as Speyeria idalia, is selected for and shall be known as the official insect of the state of Missouri.
EXPLANATION — Matter enclosed in brackets [thus] is deleted from existing law; matter in bold is new.
______ REGULAR SESSION HOUSE BILL NO. ______ ______TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE ____________________ AN ACT To repeal section 10.070, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof one new section relating to the official insect of the state of Missouri. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows: Section A. Section 10.070, RSMo, is repealed and one new section enacted in lieu thereof, to be known as section 10.070, to read as follows: 10.070. The [native "honey bee", scientifically designated as apis mellifera,] regal fritillary butterfly, scientifically designated as Speyeria idalia, is selected for and shall be known as the official insect of the state of Missouri. EXPLANATION: Matter enclosed in brackets [thus] is deleted from existing law; the language that follows it is new. (Drafted by the New MO Insect Now! citizens' campaign as a starting point. The Missouri legislature's bill drafting staff prepares the official version.)
Form. Repeal-and-replace of section 10.070, RSMo, the same single-section structure used when the honeybee was designated (1985, H.B. 281). Bracket-and-bold markup above follows standard Missouri bill conventions. Scientific name. The Missouri Department of Conservation uses Speyeria idalia; some recent taxonomy (including the 2024 federal listing proposal) classifies it as Argynnis idalia. Drafting staff may prefer to cite both. Cost. Symbol designations carry no required expenditure. Effective date. With no emergency clause, it takes effect August 28 following passage, like the original. Precedent. Missouri's pawpaw state fruit tree (2019, H.B. 565 with S.B. 210) began as a fourth-grade class project, and a companion bill in each chamber is a common path for symbol acts. This draft comes from a citizens' campaign, not legislative staff; the official version is yours to prepare.
Add your voice for a state insect that's actually from Missouri. Then send that note to your legislator. That's what turns a fun idea into a real bill.