After the population hit a record low last year, California is witnessing the return of colorful friends.
Orange and black western monarch butterflies are making a comeback in the area. Current unofficial statistics on the number of these butterflies show that there are more than 50,000 monarch butterflies resting on the central coast. This number is in stark contrast to the less than 2,000 monarchs recorded in 2020. The official statistics of butterfly populations began on November 13th.
“This is certainly not a recovery,” said Sarina Jepsen of the Xerces Invertebrate Conservation Association. “But we are really optimistic and happy that there are monarch butterflies here. This gives us some time to resume the migration of invertebrate Western monarchs.”
According to the Associated Press, monarch butterflies from the West migrate to about 100 wintering locations along the Pacific coast of California. They usually arrive in the state in early November and fly across the country when the warmer weather arrives in March.
Preliminary statistics show that more than 13,000 monarchs have arrived in Monterey County, where Pacific Grove is located. The town is known for its commitment to protecting monarch butterflies, which has earned it the nickname “American Butterfly Town”.
“I don’t remember such a bad year before, and I thought they were over,” recalled Moe Ammar of the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce. “They are gone. They will never come back, and sure enough, this year, prosperity, they landed.”
Scientists speculate that the decline of the monarch butterfly can be attributed to climate change. The presence of butterflies usually indicates that the ecosystem is healthy, but the plants from which the butterflies derive food have died.
Monarch Butterfly currently does not have any regulations or protections.
For more reports from the Associated Press, please see below.
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
The Xerces Society has recorded fewer than 2,000 butterflies since 2020, which is a significant decrease from the tens of thousands in recent years. In the 1980s, there were trees from Mendocino County in Northern California to Baja California in southern Mexico. Gathered millions of them. Now, their habitat is mainly concentrated on the central coast of California.
Every winter, the western monarch butterfly flies south from the Pacific Northwest to California, returning to the same place or even the same tree, where it gathers for heating.
Pacific Grove is 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of San Francisco.
Monarch butterflies have begun to gather on pine trees, cypress trees, and eucalyptus trees. This gives volunteers and visitors in the forest hope that these struggling insects can regain their strength.
Scientists don’t know why the population has increased this year, but Jepsen said it may be a combination of many factors, including better breeding grounds.
“Climate factors may affect the population. We may influx the monarch from the eastern United States, which happens occasionally, but it is not clear why this year’s population will be like this,” she said.
The eastern monarch butterfly flies thousands of miles from southern Canada and the northeastern United States to spend the winter in central Mexico. Scientists estimate that the number of monarch butterflies in the eastern United States has fallen by about 80% since the mid-1990s, but the decline has been even greater in the western United States.
The western monarch butterfly population has decreased by more than 99% from the millions of butterflies that wintered in California in the 1980s. This is due to the destruction of milkweed habitat along the migration route and increasing killings. The use of insecticides and herbicides destroyed their habitats.
“California has been in a dry state for many years, and they need a source of nectar to fill their stomachs, stay active and survive,” said Stephanie Turcott Edenholm, an interpreter at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, who provided Tour guide service. Sanctuary. “If we don’t have a source of nectar and no water for nectar, that’s a problem.”
AP Photo/Nick Curry
