When we think of wild animals losing their habitats, we usually think of elephants, rhinos, and tigers in faraway places. But monarch butterflies are losing their homes right here in our own backyards.
Milkweed, the only plant on which monarchs lay their eggs and the only source of food for baby caterpillars, is disappearing all across the United States due to herbicide use and land conversion. There is still some illegal logging in Mexico where monarchs spend their winters. And warmer weather is confusing butterflies, which wait for cold temperatures to begin their annual migrations. All of these threats add up to one sad fact: Monarch populations have been on the decline for decades.
These amazing creatures need your help.
It’s a big challenge, but together we can save the monarchs.