The nonprofit organization that monitors monarchs during their wintering months in the West announced Tuesday that butterfly populations have jumped from 2020-21 numbers by more than a hundredfold, from an all-time low of less than 2,000 to almost a quarter-million.
monarch butterflies
Posted inCity Life
Cautious optimism blooms at Natural Bridges as monarch populations rebound from a dismal 2020
As the annual Thanksgiving count of the icon butterflies gets underway, the numbers are way up. But observers say it’s unclear what’s behind the big jump.
Posted inEnvironment
Rep. Jimmy Panetta, other lawmakers aim to free up $120M-plus to protect monarch butterfly from extinction
A pair of Democratic lawmakers — including U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, whose district includes Santa Cruz County — introduced two bills Wednesday to tap federal dollars to help protect the struggling species.
Posted inEnvironment
Monarch population continues to plummet, but feds still opt to delay endangered species protection
The number of monarchs observed on the West Coast has plummeted from millions in the 1980s to fewer than 10,000 this year. Only 500 butterflies were observed in Natural Bridges during this year’s Thanksgiving count.