Monarch butterflies are seen in the trees as they overwinter in and around the Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary in Pacific Grove, California on January 26, 2023 | Photo by Amy Osborne / AFP
As the sun rose one January morning, volunteers began counting monarch butterflies, finding them clustered atop cypress and eucalyptus trees in various sites along the California coast. The educator spent much of the morning explaining the lives of the butterflies to young school students. They got to watch as dozens of butterflies took flight, believing — mistakenly — that the mild temperature signaled the end of winter.“It’s too early for them to get so agitated, they’re using up their fat reserves,” Edenholm fretted.
But the ranks of butterflies were far from the millions observed in the 1980s, due to threats including habitat loss, pesticides and climate change, according to Xerces. The question of whether to protect monarchs is a philosophical one, since the insects are known more for incredible migrations than being crucial for pollinating crops or flowers, according to Xerces biologist Emma Pelton.“We wouldn’t lose human crops or wild plants in particular if the monarchs disappeared,” Pelton said.
“Milkweed is linked to healthy landscapes, and it’s linked to healthy floodplains, which means that our rivers are doing well,” he told AFP.
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