Number of monarch butterflies wintering in Mexico drops 22%
March 21, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — The number of monarch butterflies wintering in the mountains of central Mexico dropped 22% from the previous year, and the number of trees lost from their favored wintering grounds tripled.
Mexican avocados shipped for Super Bowl named in complaint
February 8, 2023 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — One year after the Super Bowl season was marred by a ban on Mexican avocado shipments, another threat has emerged: An environmental complaint that avocado growers are destroying forests that provide critical habitat for monarch butterflies and other creatures.
Monarch butterflies wintering in California rebound
February 1, 2023 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The population of western monarch butterflies wintering along the California coast has rebounded for a second year in a row after a precipitous drop in 2020, but the population of orange-and-black insects is still well below what it used to be, researchers announced Tuesday.
Rare southern New Mexico butterfly now an endangered species
January 30, 2023 GMTALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has named the Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly in New Mexico as an endangered species, an environmental group said Monday.
The orange and dark-brown butterfly is found only in high-elevation meadows in the Lincoln National Forest in southern New Mexico.
Moving species emerges as last resort as climate warms
January 17, 2023 GMTIn a desperate effort to save a seabird species in Hawaii from rising ocean waters, scientists are moving chicks to a new island hundreds of miles away.
Moving species to save them — once considered taboo — is quickly gaining traction as climate change upends habitats.
Monarch butterflies return to Mexico on annual migration
November 5, 2022 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — The first monarch butterflies have appeared in the mountaintop forests of central Mexico where they spend the winter, Mexico’s Environment Department said Saturday.
The first butterflies have been seen exploring the mountaintop reserves in th states of Mexico and Michoacan, apparently trying to decide where to settle this year.
Shootings in western Mexico leave 8 dead
August 25, 2022 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Prosecutors in western Mexico said Wednesday they found eight people dead with gunshot wounds.
The bodies were found Wednesday in the township of Tuzantla, in the state of Michoacan, near the wintering grounds of the monarch butterfly.
Rosalynn Carter marking 95th birthday with butterflies
August 18, 2022 GMTRosalynn Carter, the second-oldest U.S. first lady ever, turns 95 Thursday on a birthday that will be marked not just with cards and best wishes, but with butterflies.
The wife of former President Jimmy Carter, 97, has a fascination with butterflies dating back to childhood, when she was entranced by the colorful insects flitting around her mother's flowers in Plains, Georgia, longtime friend and neighbor Annette Wise said.
Protection sought for rare butterflies at Nevada site
August 16, 2022 GMTRENO, Nev. (AP) — Conservationists who are already suing to block a geothermal power plant where an endangered toad lives in western Nevada are now seeking U.S. protection for a rare butterfly at another geothermal project the developer plans near the Oregon line.
Butterfly sculpture dedicated by Rosalynn Carter in Plains
August 15, 2022 GMTPLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has dedicated a sculpture of monarch butterflies in a garden named for her in Plains, Georgia — part of Carter's continuing advocacy for butterflies and their habitat.
Monarch butterflies are in trouble; Here’s how you can help
July 28, 2022 GMTClose your eyes for a moment and imagine a butterfly. My money says the fluttering insect you’re envisioning has black-veined, reddish-orange wings outlined with white specks — the iconic attributes of our beloved American monarch butterfly.
Beloved monarch butterflies now listed as endangered
July 21, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The monarch butterfly fluttered a step closer to extinction Thursday, as scientists put the iconic orange-and-black insect on the endangered list because of its fast dwindling numbers.
Embracing native plants doesn’t have to be all or nothing
June 23, 2022 GMTAs home gardeners become more educated about the role native plants play in the ecosystem — and their importance to pollinators, wildlife and humans — many are turning to “rewilding.” The term refers to a landscaping approach that depends on the use of native plants to sustain insects, bees, birds and butterflies.
How gardeners can control pests and also protect pollinators
June 14, 2022 GMTPicture this: You’ve planted some milkweed, bee balm or California lilac, and you’re delighted to see bees and butterflies fluttering about your garden. You feel good about nourishing pollinators and love the life those plants attract to your yard.
Monarch butterfly numbers in Mexico rise by 35%
May 24, 2022 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican experts said Monday that 35% more monarch butterflies arrived this year to spend the winter in mountaintop forests, compared to the previous season.
Experts say the rise may reflect the butterflies’ ability to adapt to more extreme bouts of heat or drought by varying the date when they leave Mexico.
Mexican journalist killed 6 weeks after colleague’s murder
March 17, 2022 GMTZITACUARO, Mexico (AP) — Six weeks ago, journalist Armando Linares choked up in a video announcing the killing of a colleague and promised to continue doing journalism that exposed the corrupt. Now Linares too has been gunned down — the eighth journalist killed in Mexico this year.
Western monarchs rebound but still below historic population
January 25, 2022 GMTLOS ANGELES (AP) — The number of Western monarch butterflies overwintering in California rebounded to more than 247,000 a year after fewer than 2,000 appeared, but the tally remained far below the millions that were seen in the 1980s, leaders of an annual count said Tuesday.
Mexicans hope for recovery of monarch butterflies
November 28, 2021 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Communal farmers and butterfly guides are hoping for a rebound in the number of monarch butterflies — and tourists — at their wintering grounds in central Mexico after a bad year for both last year.
Public asked to report monarch butterfly sightings in South
November 20, 2021 GMTATLANTA (AP) — Researchers are calling on the public to report monarch butterfly sightings in eight southern and Gulf states to try to better understand the insect's migration and wintering behavior.
After record low, monarch butterflies return to California
November 18, 2021 GMTPACIFIC GROVE, Calif. (AP) — There is a ray of hope for the vanishing orange-and-black Western monarch butterflies.
The number wintering along California's central coast is bouncing back after the population, whose presence is often a good indicator of ecosystem health, reached an all-time low last year.
Volunteers collect milkweed seeds to help butterflies
October 17, 2021 GMTCONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department says keep collecting those milkweed pods — the plants help Monarch butterflies.
The agency asked the public last month to collect milkweed pods so the seeds could be harvested and sown along with other native perennials to create “conservation corridors” along highways.
Tropical larvae found in fruit shipped from Costa Rica to US
October 5, 2021 GMTGULFPORT, Miss. (AP) — The U.S. government ordered the destruction a $15,000 shipment of pineapples from Costa Rica after agriculture inspectors in Mississippi found butterfly larvae that they said could be harmful.
Milkweed planted in California to help monarch butterflies
May 31, 2021 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A conservation group is planting more than 30,000 milkweed plants in California in the hope of giving Western monarch butterflies new places to breed.
Minnesota Zoo strives to save endangered butterflies
May 1, 2021 GMTAPPLE VALLEY, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Zoo is working to save endangered butterfly species that are native to the state but facing serious population declines.
The Dakota Skippers and Poweshiek Skipperlings are both native species experiencing a rapid decline that zoo officials are targeting for helping, KARE-TV reported Friday.
Advocates sue to protect monarchs, Northern spotted owls
April 1, 2021 GMTBILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Wildlife advocates sued federal officials Thursday in a bid for greater protections for monarch butterflies, northern spotted owls and eight other species inching toward possible extinction...
Monarch butterflies down 26% in Mexico wintering grounds
February 26, 2021 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — The number of monarch butterflies that showed up at their winter resting grounds in central Mexico decreased by about 26% this year, and four times as many trees were lost to illegal logging, drought and other causes, making 2020 a bad year for the butterflies...
Monarch butterfly population moves closer to extinction
January 19, 2021 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The number of western monarch butterflies wintering along the California coast has plummeted precipitously to a record low, putting the orange-and-black insects closer to extinction, researchers announced Tuesday...
Endangered-species decision expected on beloved butterfly
December 14, 2020 GMTTrump administration officials are expected to say this week whether the monarch butterfly, a colorful and familiar backyard visitor now caught in a global extinction crisis, should receive federal designation as a threatened species...
Bugged: Earth’s insect population shrinks 27% in 30 years
April 23, 2020 GMTKENSINGTON, Maryland (AP) — The world has lost more than one quarter of its land-dwelling insects in the past 30 years, according to researchers whose big picture study of global bug decline paints a disturbing but more nuanced problem than earlier research...
UIC plays key role in monarch butterfly conservation efforts
April 12, 2020 GMTCHICAGO (AP) — The University of Illinois at Chicago is taking a lead role in a nationwide effort to conserve monarch butterflies...
Mexico: Monarch butterflies drop 53% in wintering area
March 13, 2020 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — The number of monarch butterflies that showed up at their winter resting grounds decreased about 53% this year, Mexican officials said Friday...
California’s monarch butterflies critically low for 2nd year
January 23, 2020 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The western monarch butterfly population wintering along California's coast remains critically low for the second year in a row, a count by an environmental group released Thursday showed...
Monarch symbol of species in crisis as US protections shrink
August 14, 2019 GMTGREENBELT, Md. (AP) — Hand-raising monarch butterflies in the midst of a global extinction crisis, Laura Moore and her neighbors gather round in her suburban Maryland yard to launch a butterfly newly emerged from its chrysalis...
Want to help bees? Plant flowering herbs
March 19, 2019 GMTHerbs are among the most useful plants in nature. They can tantalize the taste buds, help cure what ails you, oil the body, perfume the air, and attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds...
Butterflies abound in mountainous Mexican winter habitat
March 6, 2019 GMTCERRO PELÓN MONARCH BUTTERFLY SANCTUARY, Mexico (AP) — As the group made its way up the rugged mountain path toward the clearing, their heavy, crunching bootsteps turned to near-silent tiptoeing, their friendly chitchat dropped to whispers, giddy smiles appeared on faces and eyes brimmed with tears...
Some favorite garden vegetables attract pollinators, too
February 19, 2019 GMTPlanting clumps of bright, successively blooming flowers is a popular method for attracting foraging pollinators like bees and butterflies...
Count finds sharp drop in monarch butterflies in California
January 6, 2019 GMTSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Researchers with an environmental group have labeled as "disturbingly low" the number of western monarch butterflies that migrate along the California coast...
Bye bye bugs? Scientists fear non-pest insects are declining
September 20, 2018 GMTOXFORD, Pa. (AP) — A staple of summer — swarms of bugs — seems to be a thing of the past. And that's got scientists worried...
The Woodlands offers help in the race to save the pollinators
September 14, 2018 GMTNita Schiro’s front yard in the Village of Alden Bridge looks like no one else’s. Gravel paths wind through goldenrod stalks that tower over bushes of plump American beautyberries and tangle with passionflower vines.
Effort to help monarch butterflies gets boost in marketplace
August 21, 2018 GMTMONTREAL (AP) — An initiative to market milkweed for the benefit of monarch butterflies — and the farmers in Quebec and Vermont who grow it — is getting a boost from a Canadian parka company that is renewing its commitment to sell coats made with the plant's floss...
Gardner: Stomach butterflies swarm before skydive opportunity
August 10, 2018 GMTWhen the Army offered me the chance to skydive with the Golden Knights, I jumped at the chance. That’s not just a pun. It’s the truth. It was only after I had a minute to think that I questioned my enthusiasm.
The monarch and the milkweed
August 3, 2018 GMTFor generations, farmers have despised milkweed and done their best to rid their lands of it. “I hate to have milkweed in my strawberry field,” Nathalie Leonard says from her farm by the Quebec village of Lac-du-Cerf.
A makeover for milkweed, for the sake of butterflies
July 31, 2018 GMTQUEBEC CITY (AP) — For generations, North American farmers have despised milkweed and done their best to rid their lands of it...
Museum offers up-close encounters with butterflies, other species
July 21, 2018 GMTHUNTINGTON — Insect lovers, take notice: The butterfly garden at the Huntington Museum of Art is in full bloom, drawing several species of butterflies and other pollinators to the grounds.
"I tried to arrange it so the garden would be in bloom all summer long," Museum Conservatory Director Mike Beck said.
Dane County hoping bees, butterflies take advantage of new prairie lands at landfills
May 25, 2018 GMTBees and butterflies could be heading to two Dane County landfill sites, thanks to almost 100 acres of land at the sites getting planted with prairie grasses friendly to pollinators.
Pollinators like honeybees have been in decline in recent years thanks to shrinking habitat and pesticides, so efforts will be made at the Rodefeld landfill east of Madison and the Westport landfill near Waunakee to turn acreage into prairie.
Butterfly Pavilion’s Octopus is Dubbed Tako
May 4, 2018 GMTAfter receiving more than 700 votes last week during the Butterfly Pavilion's octopus naming contest, the eight-armed mollusc has been dubbed Tako, which means octopus in Japanese.
The vote breakdown for the top five names is as follows:
Kaleidoscope of butterflies: Families flutter to McAllen’s annual Monarch Festival
March 18, 2018 GMTMcALLEN – Families swarmed to the Quinta Mazatlán World Birding Center for the Monarch Festival on Saturday to celebrate the northern migration of the iconic butterfly.
Taking place throughout the birding grounds and the historic adobe home, people from across the Rio Grande Valley arrived on the sunny day faced with a human-sized orange monarch at the entrance before making their way into the grounds.
Students connect with butterflies at Loveland Aquarium
March 12, 2018 GMT“One actually flied on my shirt!”
Many of the Sunset View Elementary kindergarteners who experienced the new butterfly exhibit at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium on Wednesday entered the enclosure with trepidation or enthusiasm, but exited in awe.
Boy Scout program aims to save monarch butterflies
November 5, 2017 GMTWanted: Boy Scouts willing to get their hands dirty.
Where: The front lines of the campaign to prevent monarch butterfly extinction.
San Antonio should grow wings — light rail
October 28, 2017 GMTEarly last week, a rabble of migrating monarch butterflies in town for the Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival at the Pearl decided on a whim to extend their stay in San Antonio.
Getting from one place to another, after all, can wear on one’s nerves.
Massive wave of butterflies lights up Denver weather radar
October 4, 2017 GMTDENVER (AP) — A lacy, cloud-like pattern drifting across a Denver-area radar screen turned out to be a 70-mile-wide (110-kilometer) wave of butterflies, forecasters say.
Paul Schlatter of the National Weather Service said he first thought flocks of birds were making the pattern he saw on the radar Tuesday, but the cloud was headed northwest with the wind, and migrating birds would be southbound in October.
Following the path of the monarch
June 2, 2017 GMTSara Dykman is on a 10,000-mile bike trip, tracing the migratory path of the monarch butterfly from Mexico through the United States and Canada and back again.
But the purpose of this wildlife biology technologist's journey is not only to mark the butterfly's route that brought her to the Rochester area on Wednesday, but to warn about the threat it faces — and what we can done to avert it.
Were you ‘Seen’ at the Butterfly Release?
April 30, 2017 GMTThe Harbor Foundation held its 8th annual Butterfly Release Saturday at Ford Park. Our cameras were there - did we see you? Entertainment and booths with crafts and games for children filled the park while families waited for the afternoon grand release of monarch butterflies.
Encouraging the ‘mighty bee’ and a butterfly hula
April 3, 2017 GMTTwo weeks into spring, many blooms brighten our island landscapes. Occasional dusky cecropia moths, brilliant monarchs and white butterflies dance through the garden — not nearly the air ballet seen some years back when our host plants for the monarchs were decimated by hungry caterpillars preparing for the chrysalis stage before emerging as winged “dancer” pollinators.
Island invites you to help protect monarch butterfly
February 6, 2017 GMTSOUTH PADRE ISLAND — Dennis and Mary Frahm were taking photos of nature and the butterflies at the birding center.
“We are having a blast out here taking pictures of the butterflies,” Dennis said.
Migrating souls: Monarch butterflies arrive in time for Day of the Dead
November 2, 2016 GMTMISSION — The Aztecs called her Quetzalpapalotl, or sacred butterfly, and millions of them arrive every year just in time for Mexico’s oldest celebration, Día de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, which is observed today throughout Latin America.