The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the monarch butterfly as a threatened species on Tuesday, citing a significant decline in the iconic black and orange insects that has pushed them toward extinction. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Monarch butterflies, known for migrating thousands of miles (km) across North America, have experienced a decades-long U.S. population decline due to habitat loss caused by human activities such as farming and urban development, widespread use of pesticides and climate change. FILE PHOTO: Monarch butterflies land on branches at Monarch Grove Sanctuary in Pacific Grove, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Nic Coury, File) Environmental groups have been pushing for U.S. protection of the winged pollinators for a decade. KEY QUOTE "T...
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The population of monarch butterflies in the Mexican forests where they spend the winter fell to the second-lowest figure on record this season, offering a grim snapshot of the already endangered orange-and-black insects. The iconic butterflies' presence was only documented in 2.2 acres (0.9 hectares) of forest spanning a couple Mexican states where they traditionally hunker down for the winter, according to the latest annual study published on Wednesday and conducted by Mexico's protected natural areas commission and the Swiss-based World Wildlife Fund (WWF), an environmental group. In the mid-1990s, monarch butterflies could be found on around 45 acres of the same forests covered largely by pine and fir trees, along the border between Michoacan and Mexico states. FILE PHOTO: A ...
Read MoreWhen the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium was formed in US seven years ago, Iowa State University researchers faced two big questions about reestablishing the milkweed and other wildflowers needed for the iconic butterfly’s survival: How can habitat be restored and where should it be located? The “how” of restoring habitat is outlined in the consortium’s guidelines for planting prairie. “Where” is the subject of a new peer-reviewed journal article that provides an overview of 20 ISU studies, as well as work by other monarch researchers. The paper, published in Bioscience earlier this month, synthesizes years of research that includes field observations, laboratory experiments and simulation modeling. The findings are largely optimistic. FILE PHOTO: In this March 28, 2018, file p...
Read MoreThe critically endangered monarch butterfly grew its presence in Mexico last year, a study showed on Tuesday, giving a glimmer of hope to researchers who track the fluttering orange and black migrants despite a decades-long population collapse. In one of planet's most epic wildlife migrations, the slow-moving monarch butterflies travel south as many as 2,800 miles (4,500 km) from spots in Canada and the United States to hunker down for the winter in warmer Mexico, where millions cover entire trees that tourists flock to see. FILE PHOTO: Monarch butterflies cling to a plant at the Monarch Grove Sanctuary in Pacific Grove, California. REUTERS/Michael Fiala Last winter, the pockets of Mexican forest where the intrepid insects end up each year saw 35% more butterflies than in 2020, a...
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