U.S. Wildlife Officials Plan to List Monarch Butterflies

Migrating monarchs  -  NPS Photo

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing the monarch butterfly as threatened with extinction under the Endangered Species Act. The law states that a species is labeled "threatened" when it is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future.

Winter is the time when millions of monarch butterflies journey thousands of miles across North America to spend winters in the forests and mountains of central Mexico.But over the years, the beloved butterfly has seen such a troubling decline in its population.

Monarch butterflies in New Jersey are no exception and also migrate to Mexico for the winter. Every year, they embark on an incredible journey, traveling up to 3,000 miles from as far north as Canada to the mountain forests of central Mexico1. New Jersey plays a special role in their migration, as thousands of monarchs stop at the tip of the Cape May peninsula to rest and refuel before crossing Delaware Bay. 

The monarch plays a significant role in maintaining its ecosystem's biodiversity. It is an important pollinator and a vital food source for various animals.

the threats are all too common - habitat loss (often from legal or illegal logging), exposure to insecticides, and the climate crisis. These factors have shifted the monarch's breeding and migratory patterns.

The loss of pollinators would have far-reaching consequences for ecosystems and economically for agricultural production. Pollinators are responsible for 75% of the production of the food for humans. But with President-elect Donald Trump - whose previous administration attempted to water down protections for endangered species - protection of a species may be much more difficult..

It was two years ago that the International Union for Conservation of Nature categorized the migratory monarch butterfly, specific to North America,as endangered due to climate change and habitat loss. In just one year, between 2021 and 2022, the presence of monarch butterflies in their Mexican forest wintering grounds dropped by 22%, according to a recent report from the World Wildlife Fund.

More at njconservation.org/our-marvelous-mysterious-migrating-monarchs/

Milkweed Protects the Monarch Butterfly Population

Planting milkweed plants in gardens helps protect the monarch butterfly, which is an endangered species. Milkweeds serve as breeding habitats for monarchs and provide a valuable nectar source for other species of butterflies, bees, and insects beneficial to the environment.

The absence of milkweed affects the monarch’s reproductive chain because milkweed is the only plant where monarchs will lay their eggs. After the monarch’s eggs hatch into caterpillars, they eat the milkweed’s leaves, which help them grow into a new generation of monarch butterflies.

Milkweed plants are perennials, so with proper care and the right weather conditions the plants will rebloom during the next spring and summer seasons. Swamp milkweed and butterfly weed.are both species that are good in New Jersey. 

Milkweed will grow wild in some areas and produce large seedpods at the end of the summer season which can be distributed by hand to start new plants next year. When milkweed pods open in fall and early winter, hair-covered seeds are released and carried by the wind. Plants are often available at garden centers and sometimes are provided for free by organizations promoting planting to help the monarch population. 

Monarch Butterflies Are Now Officially Internationally Endangered

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature added the migrating monarch butterfly for the first time to its “red list” of threatened species and categorized it as “endangered.” That puts it two steps away from "extinct." The United States has not listed monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act, but several environmental groups believe they should be listed. (Nonmigratory monarch butterflies in Central and South America were not designated as endangered.)

The population of monarch butterflies in North America is estimated to have declined between 22% and 72% over 10 years, depending on the measurement method. Nick Haddad, a conservation biologist at Michigan State University estimates that the population of monarch butterflies he studies in the eastern United States has declined between 85% and 95% since the 1990s.

In North America, millions of monarch butterflies undertake the longest migration of any insect species known to science. They winter in the mountains of central Mexico and then migrate north. They breed multiple generations along the way for thousands of miles stretching through New Jersey and as far north as southern Canada.

They begin the trip back to Mexico at the end of summer.

Butterflies generally are dropping their numbers because of loss of habitat, increased use of herbicides and pesticides for agriculture, and climate change.

Many Americans have been trying to do their part by planting butterfly gardens or adding plants such as milkweed, a plant that the caterpillars depend upon.

 

October Is Monarch Migration

October is the peak month for monarch butterfly migration, and along New Jersey's coastline there is a good chance of spotting these long-distance flyers. They migrate over 2,000 miles to the forests of central Mexico.

But the monarch population has declined tremendously - down 95% from the mid-1990s - mostly due to widespread loss of milkweed plants. The milkweed plant's leaves are the only food source for monarch caterpillars. Many people believe the monarch needs to be placed on the U.S. Endangered Species List.

Along the coast, you might see the monarchs on goldenrod flowers or roosting in Eastern red cedars, although their routes are highly affected by winds.

Cape May is a key point on their migration route. As with many birds, they use the tip of the state as a food stop before their next long flight. In the monarchs' case, it is a southern route over the Delaware that they need to power up for on this two month journey.

 New Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory hosts the Monarch Monitoring Project which covers much of the tip and conducts counts at Stone Harbor Point and East Point on the Delaware Bay - see www.monarchmonitoringproject.com

Will Monarch Butterflies End Up on the Endangered Species List?

On December 29th, 2014, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced it would be conducting a status review of the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Service has reason to believe a listing may be necessary due to considerable evidence from a petition submitted by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Center for Food Safety, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and Dr. Lincoln Brower. The petition stated that habitat destruction and loss of milkweed due to pesticide use are two of the most contributing factors to the declining monarch population. Other factors include disease and predation, overutilization for commercial purposes, and lack of existing conservation procedures.


Watch a monarch emerge from a chrysalis in the wild in this video by Tina Shaw/USFWS




During the summer months, the monarch can be found throughout the United States where milkweed, the species’ host plant, is plentiful. Milkweed provides nutrients to hungry caterpillars as well as space for mature females to lay their eggs. Although an adult monarch may lay up to 500 eggs in its lifetime, it has now been discovered fewer and fewer butterflies make the migration each year.

SOURCE: www.conservewildlifenj.org