Monarch butterflies, the comeback insects
Just like your favorite boy band of the ‘90s, monarch butterflies are trying to make a comeback. But unlike a singing group, monarch butterflies are ecologically significant and have three countries helping them out.
Pollinator populations have been declining for years, which is very bad news for humans and our way of life. However, this year Mexico has reported a resurgence in the monarch butterfly population, a trend that will hopefully continue in the coming years.
Monarchs migrate to Mexico during the winter months and cluster in pine and fir forests in the mountains west of Mexico City. They clump so tightly that it is impossible to count individuals, only the area the population covers. This year, the butterflies covered 10 acres, three and a half times the area they covered last year, and six times the area they covered in 2013.
“The increase is certainly great news, but the bottom line is that monarchs must reach a much larger population size to be resilient to ever-increasing threats,” said Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity in Washington, D.C.
Since this is the second year the population has grown, biologists are hopeful that the trend will continue. However, the population still has a long way to go. Just 20 years ago they covered as much as 44 acres in the winter.
“The news is good, but at the same time we shouldn’t let our guard down,” said Omar Vidal, director of the World Wildlife Fund in Mexico. “Now more than ever, Mexico, the United States, and Canada should increase their conservation efforts to protect and restore the habitat of this butterfly along its migratory route.”
Part of the problem is that much of the butterflies’ natural habitat has been reduced and endangered by herbicide, pesticide, and loss of open land. Monarchs eat and lay their eggs on milkweed plants, which have seen a significant decline in recent years. The U.S. has a five-year plan to reintroduce milkweed along the monarchs’ migration path, both by planting and reducing pesticide use in areas where it grows.
Another part of the problem is the amount of illegal logging in Mexico. Logging in the forests where the monarchs wait out the winter is against the law, but illegal remains an issue, which might make all the work that the U.S. and Canada does useless. If the butterflies can’t find adequate shelter in the forests, they’d be exposed to the fatal cold and rain.
What can you do to help?
If you live along the monarch butterflies’ flight path, try planting milkweed and other plants that butterflies like that are native to your area. These will also attract other pollinators like moths and bees. Refraining from using pesticide on your garden will also go a long way to helping the butterflies and other pollinators.