Extreme weather, forest loss behind sharp drop in monarch butterfly spottings
OTTAWA — Right about now, the kings of the butterfly world are emerging from hibernation in Mexico looking for love and ready to make more butterflies.
But scientists Monday said the number of monarch butterflies which will start their annual, 5,000-kilometre migration north to Canadian gardens and wild flower patches this summer is down sharply thanks to extreme weather last fall.
A survey released Monday by the World Wildlife Fund and the Mexican National Commission for Protected Areas showed a 15 per cent drop in the forest area occupied by hibernating monarchs in the fir forests of central Mexico this winter.
In absolute terms, that’s likely a loss of about 16 million butterflies compared with this time last year. Monarchs are a critical element in the North American ecosystem serving as food for birds and other insects.