monarch butterflies

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    Monarch Butterflies Will Be Protected Under Historic Deal

    Monarch Butterflies Will Be Protected Under Historic Deal

    By Liz Kimbrough The side of the road isn’t usually thought of as ideal habitat. But for insects, such as butterflies and their caterpillars, the long expanses of land along roads and utility corridors add up to a considerable amount of home turf. More than 45 transportation and energy companies, as well as dozens of […]

    24 Creative Green Projects to Tackle Now

    24 Creative Green Projects to Tackle Now

    By Courtney Lindwall If you’re one of those people cooped up safely at home, with creative energy and free time to spare—count yourself lucky. Here, we’ve rounded up a list of two dozen environmental projects that can make your time indoors, or right outside, a little brighter. Whether you’re ready to start rescuing more of […]

    Monarch Butterfly Populations Are Plummeting

    Monarch Butterfly Populations Are Plummeting

    Both Eastern and Western monarch butterflies are seeing their populations plummet precipitously, worrying scientists that the future of the species is in peril, according to multiple surveys of butterfly populations. The New York Times recently reported on efforts to track the Western monarch butterfly, which spends its winter on California’s central coast before heading off […]

    Renewed Hope for Eastern Monarch Butterfly?

    Renewed Hope for Eastern Monarch Butterfly?

    The yearly count of monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico, released Wednesday, shows an increase of 144 percent from last year’s count and is the highest count since 2006. That’s good news for a species whose numbers had fallen in recent years, but conservationists say the monarch continues to need Endangered Species Act protection. The count […]

    Monarch Butterfly Population Plummets in California

    Monarch Butterfly Population Plummets in California

    The population of monarch butterflies that spend winter along the California coast dropped 86 percent since 2017, according to a recent count by the Xerces Society, an invertebrate conservation group. Preliminary results from the Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count, an annual citizen science program, recorded less than 30,000 butterflies overwintering in California, a significant decline from […]

    All About Monarchs: The Royals of the Butterfly World

    All About Monarchs: The Royals of the Butterfly World

    The Migration and Importance of Monarchs Monarch butterflies, which pollinate many different kinds of wildflowers, are among nature’s great wonders. Their annual migration is one of the most awe-inspiring on Earth: Each fall, millions of these striking black-and-orange butterflies take flight on a 3,000-mile journey across the U.S. and Canada to wintering grounds in Mexico’s […]

    Monarch Butterfly Migration Could Collapse, Scientists Warn

    Monarch Butterfly Migration Could Collapse, Scientists Warn

    The yearly count of monarch butterflies overwintering in Mexico, released Monday, shows a decrease from last year’s count and confirms the iconic orange and black butterfly is still very much at risk. The count of 2.48 hectares of occupied winter habitat is down from 2.91 hectares last winter. Overall, monarchs have declined by more than […]