Long-term studies of checkerspot butterflies, Euphydryas spp., are used to draw conservation lessons with implications for the design and management of reserves for invertebrates. We discuss: 1. The importance of determining the structure of and patterns of mating within demographic units; 2. The lack of congruence between migration and gene flow; 3. The crucial role of habitat diversity in the protection of species which otherwise require only small areas of habitat; 4. The importance of identifying and preserving reservoir" populations within metapopulations