Monarch butterfly population drops by nearly one third

[Judi Lynn]

Monarch butterfly population drops by nearly one third
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BY KESAVAN UNNIKRISHNAN 9 HOURS AGO IN ENVIRONMENT


The annual overwintering count of monarch butterflies shows that butterfly numbers fell by nearly one-third this year reversing last year’s recovery from historically low numbers.

Millions of the butterflies migrates up to 2,800 miles from Canada and the U.S. to Mexico each year and they cluster tightly in the pine and fir forests in the sanctuaries of the Mariposa Monarca Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. Monarch populations are measured by the number of hectares of trees occupied by clustering butterflies. This year that coverage has been estimated at 2.91 hectares, down from last year’s figure of four, which itself was a sharp improvement from the 1.13 hectares in 2014-2015.

However, coverage used to be as much as 20 hectares few decades ago.

Omar Vidal, the head of the Mexico office of the World Wildlife Fund said:

The reduction in the area of forest they occupied this year is most probably due to the high mortality caused by storms and cold weather last year. It is a clear reminder for the three countries that they must step up actions to protect breeding, feeding and migratory habitat. We cannot control the climate, but we can do much better in eradicating illegal logging in the reserve and tackling habitat loss in the U.S. and Canada.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/environment/monarch-butterfly-population-drops-by-nearly-one-third/article/487189#ixzz4aUIXabNz

[CountAllVotes]

1. Sad.

I remember my father saying before he died, "You used to see those all over the place".

That was 20 years ago.

[ffr]

2. Our backyard already has over 60 native Showy milkweed plants, planted two years ago.

But it's a big back yard that could use hundreds more flowering plants. For all that are back there, this will be their third year, which is anticipated to be the year they leap to full height. Others in richer soil & warmer climates have already leaped last year.

I've taken lead on this project and have approximately 1,200 milkweed seeds from other native plants I'm going to grow at various locations covering a two state region, beginning in an indoor greenhouse I'll be starting up in a couple of weeks. To do this, I'm also going to acquire a USDA permit to be sure there won't be any problems with me adding seedlings that are not native, nor when protecting caterpillars that are in places where their food sources are regularly mowed (drainage ditches) and the caterpillars are regularly killed. I have identified 3 native patches along with my two man-made patches where caterpillars may be moved if there habitat is destroyed and their death is eminent.

Plus, I have something on the order of about 6,000 Echinacea Coneflower seeds & hundreds of others, for pollinator nectar & bird food sources. All are going through the greenhouse to give them a jumpstart on life. I'll keep some plants in the greenhouse to boost their first season growth to the maximum, others will be indoor/outdoor plants to increase food source survivability, but the majority will be replanted throughout a two state region. Again. All milkweed species will be native to the region where they are being replanted.

To the Monarch numbers, you should be able to add at least one to the count, a caterpillar that would have frozen and died due to a late fall start its mother gave it. Three others froze and died, but the one, a female was nursed back to health and naturally hatched and flew west late last Fall.

No pesticides. No herbicides. And as much pre-selected organic seeds as possible.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Absolutely helpful. Watched four short videos, learned a lot.

Learned planting milkweed for monarchs, basically free to anyone wanting to help reverse the devastation is within everyone's grasp, and so easy to accomplish.

Thank you for this post.