Since 1997, the Xerces Society has coordinated a monarch butterfly count along the California coast, where western monarchs spend their winters. This year’s count was 9,119, the second lowest number since the group’s counts began.
Pesticides, a lack of milkweed, diminished habitat and changing weather are key factors in the decline of the monarch.
What specifically caused this year’s precipitous drop? Here’s what Emma Pelton of the Xerces Society said: “The record high late summer temperatures and drought in the West likely contributed to the significant drop-off we saw.”
In December 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed adding the monarch butterfly to the Endangered Species Act and classifying it as “threatened,” one step less at risk than “endangered.” This would include the western monarchs and their eastern brethren, and give these orange-and-black flyers a fighting chance to recover — and then get off the list.
These new numbers provide additional evidence that this is precisely what the agency should do.
Tell the FWS: Add monarchs to the Endangered Species List
Wildlife & wild places
Tell the FWS: Add monarchs to the Endangered Species List
New threatened species protections could be our last hope for the monarchs.
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