Monarch butterfly population drops by 14 percent
For the second year in a row, the number of monarch butteflies spending the winter in Mexican forests has declined, said Alejandro Del Mazo, Mexico's commissioner for protected areas.
Western monarch butterflies on verge of extinction, says study
Monarch butterflies west of the Rocky Mountains are facing extinction, as the number wintering in California has plummeted by more than 90 percent since 1980, says a study published by the journal Biological Conservation. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is debating whether to grant endangered species status to the insect.
U.S. to decide by mid-2019 whether monarch butterfly is endangered
Under terms of a settlement, the Interior Department will rule by June 30, 2019, whether the monarch butterfly, which has suffered a huge drop in population, deserves protection under the Endangered Species Act, said two environmental groups. The groups say without help, the well-known orange-and-black insect is at risk of extinction.
The monarch butterfly’s problems are more than milkweed
Two researchers at Cornell say the factors behind the decline in monarch butterfly populations are wider spread than the loss of milkweed, their summertime food source. They say the list includes sparse nectar sources in the fall, adverse weather and fragmentation of habitat.
Eastern monarch butterfly at risk of extinction
The population of the Eastern monarch butterfly declined 84 percent in less than two decades, says a team of researchers.
Monarch butterfly census flutters upward
The monarch butterfly population, "after years of being ravaged by severe weather and shrinking habitats," shows signs of recovery, reports the New York Times.
Habitat loss in US is cause in monarch butterfly decline
The main cause of declines in the monarch butterfly population is loss of habitat in breeding grounds in North America, particularly the U.S. Corn Belt, says research by the University of Guelph.