Experts noted 96 per cent decline in monarch population in parts of U.S. in 2024
Learn about how you can help boost monarch population numbers.
The number of monarch butterflies dropped by 96% in 2024, marking the second-lowest number since 1997 according to a conservation society. Known for their beautiful orange and black wings, they winter in Mexico and along the California coast.
For 28 years, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation has counted monarch overwinter populations along the California coast, northern Baja California, as well as inland spots in California.
In 1997, the organization recorded its highest number ever, at 1.2 million.
In 2023, it counted more than 230,000 butterflies and, on Friday, the organization announced that in 2024, it only saw 9,119 butterflies, a 96 per cent decline from the previous year.
It is the second-lowest count since tracking began.
Another organization in Santa Barbara that counted 33,000 butterflies last winter saw only 198 in 2024.
“The population’s size is extremely concerning,” Emma Pelton, an endangered species biologist with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, said in a statement.
“We know small populations are especially vulnerable to environmental fluctuations, and we think that’s what happened this year. The record high late summer temperatures and drought in the West likely contributed to the significant drop-off we saw in the third and fourth breeding generations.”
Canada listed the species as endangered in 2023. In December, the U.S. proposed adding monarchs to its endangered species list.
Here's how you can help monarchs
Milkweed plays a crucial role in the monarch's life cycle - their leaves are the only things they eat in the caterpillar phase.
In some parts of Canada and the U.S., more than 90 per cent of it has vanished due to agricultural practices.
Helping the monarch can be as simple as planting one of Canada's many native milkweed species on your property.
You can take that a step further by setting up a monarch waystation and registering it online with monarchwatch.com.
Some Canadian organizations, like Little Wings offer free milkweed seeds, and only ask for a small donation in return.
You can also visit Monarch Nation to learn about monarch conservation programs in your province.
With files from April Walker. Header image by Cheryl Santa Maria using graphical elements from Canva Pro/Photoshop.