US EditionCalifornia’s monarch butterfly population plummets; fire wipes out Topanga habitat
- The Monarch butterfly population in the Western United States has reached its second-lowest level in nearly 30 years, with just 9,119 counted in 2024, a 96% decrease from 233,394 in 2023.
- Federal officials are working to list Monarch butterflies as threatened, which would prohibit killing or transporting them and protect 4,395 acres in California.
- Earthjustice petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to test pesticide effects on insects like butterflies, highlighting growing environmental concerns.
- Emma Pelton of the Xerces Society stated that the sharp drop in the population is concerning but hopes it serves as a wake-up call for conservation efforts.
53 Articles
53 Articles
7 Tips for Growing Milkweed from Seed to Attract Monarch Butterflies
Growing milkweed from seed is an easy way to make your garden a monarch landing zone.Kindra ClineffGrowing milkweed from seed is one of the easiest ways to help declining monarch butterflies. In December 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed monarch butterflies, whose numbers in the West have declined by over 90% since the 1980s, be classified as “threatened”—one step below “endangered." The use of pesticides and the loss of habitat …
The drastic decline in these migratory insects raises concerns among conservation experts, who warn about the effects of climate change, habitat loss and pesticide use on their survival
CA monarch butterfly population plummets 96% in 2024 survey
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Overwintering populations of monarch butterflies in California have reached a near all-time low since records began, conservationists announced on Thursday. The Western Monarch Count saw a peak population of 9,119 butterflies this winter, according to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. The number marks a major decline from 2021, 2022 and 2023, when more than 200,000 monarchs were recorded. The 2024 count is…
US monarch butterfly population nears 30-year low
The monarch butterfly population in the western U.S. hit a nearly 30-year low in 2024. That's a 96% drop compared to the population in 2023. Experts blamed a combination of vanishing habitats, climate change and pesticides. Due to declining populations of pollinators, monarchs are expected to become a protected species in the U.S. in 2025. Fewer monarch butterflies have spent winter in the western U.S. as factors like pesticides, a disappearing …
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