Tag: butterflies

In 2019 and again in 2020, swarms of painted lady butterflies irrupted in the millions in Southern California. People couldn’t drive their cars without the insects crashing into their vehicles’...

Milkweed plants are vital for monarch butterflies and their larvae, providing nutrition to power their multi-generational migrations. Many of these plants have declined due to human development, prompting conservation organizations...

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed monarch butterflies as endangered due to steep declines experienced over the past decade. Monarchs (Danaus plexippus), which migrate from the United...

Concerns about monarch butterfly populations have made them contenders for Endangered Species Act protections, but a new study contradicts those fears, finding that monarchs are not in as much trouble...

Western harvest mice in California may be feeding on monarch butterflies overwintering there, providing just another reason why conserving the declining insect species may benefit the ecosystem. Monarchs aren’t palatable...

Monarch butterflies are planning to spend their winters on the coast of California in greater numbers this year, according to surveys. More than 1,300 monarchs (Danaus plexippus) were reported at...

Eastern monarch butterflies kept in captivity still migrate south when they’re released. That could be good news for butterfly-rearing hobbyists and classrooms that raise monarchs as a learning opportunity. Researchers...

Current conservation measures for monarch butterflies may be falling short, say researchers who created a model to analyze how the butterflies are faring. Rodrigo Solis-Sosa, a veterinarian and PhD candidate...

Although deserts have limited plant diversity, they are hotspots for butterfly biodiversity, suggesting that these dry areas should be a focus for conserving the insects. That was the finding of...

The number of monarch butterflies landing on their wintering grounds in central Mexico in 2020 has dropped by about 26% from the previous year. Rather than counting individual butterflies, researchers...