Monarch Population Counts Archives - Page 2 of 2

Research points to a changing climate, extreme weather events as contributing factors in monarch population decline

Posted on August 25, 2021February 20, 2024

In a recent article, scientists, many from Michigan State, established how monarch populations respond to temperature and moisture. The findings indicated that changes in the climate, particularly increasing temperatures, were likely to reduce monarch numbers (SciTechDaily). Clearly, we can add climate change as well as habitat loss to our concerns about the future of the […]

Field reports

“All hands on deck” in Face of Eastern Monarch Declines

Posted on March 10, 2021February 20, 2024

In a recent report from the World Wildlife Fund Mexico, scientists noted a 26% decrease in monarch butterfly overwintering population numbers in southern overwintering sites. It is estimated that 6 hectares of hibernating monarchs are required to maintain a sustainable eastern monarch population. This report revealed that monarchs occupied only 2.10 hectares, compared to […]

Field reports

Alarming Western Monarch Population Count Calls for Magnified, Comprehensive Effort to Plant Pollinator Forage

Posted on February 25, 2021February 20, 2024

Fewer than 2,000 monarch butterflies were counted in California’s overwintering sites this year, a dire indication for the viability of the western migration. The annual Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count surveyed 246 sites with only 1,914 total monarchs counted. Western monarch populations saw previous all-time low counts in 2018 and 2019, with only 30,000 monarchs those […]

Endangered Species Act

USFWS: ESA Listing of Monarch Butterfly Warranted but Precluded

Posted on December 15, 2020February 20, 2024

The Keystone Monarch Collaborative noted today’s decision from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) that adding the monarch butterfly to the list of threatened and endangered species is warranted but precluded by work on higher-priority listing actions. This means USFWS has added the monarch butterfly to the candidate list and assigned it a listing […]