Monarch Butterfly Numbers Dwindling
The population of monarch butterflies is declining at an alarming rate.Broadcast Version
They are the black and orange butterflies we see most often in the fall as they migrate to Mexico. Monarchs spend their summers in the Midwest and northern states, and that’s where UGA ecologist Sonia Altizer, Ph.D., believes the problem is. “Monarchs as caterpillars feed on plants called milkweeds,” said Altizer. “And these milkweeds are agricultural weeds that used to be really common especially in a lot of our states where agriculture was king states like Iowa, and Illinois and Indiana.”
Altizer says scientists believe the main reason is the move toward genetically modified crops which is killing the milkweed, and she says that is crippling the monarchs’ ability to breed.
The population is at its lowest level since 1993 when scientists started counting monarchs. Altizer says the population has declined rapidly in the past four years, and this year, the count is less than half of that in 2013.
But why should we care if they disappear? Altizer sees it as a slippery slope. “If we’re seeing this happen to monarchs, there are probably a lot of other insects, including butterflies, that rely on these agricultural landscapes and the weeds that they used to support which are now vanishing.”
Altizer encourages Georgians, where the monarchs often breed one last time before heading south, to plant milkweed in hopes of providing a friendly habitat.
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