[Pollinator] Annual Count Shows that Number of Monarch Butterflies Overwintering in California may be Holding Steady

[Candace Fallon]

This is the season for monarch count results! We're all eagerly
anticipating the numbers from Mexico but the data from California's Western
Monarch Thanksgiving Count have just become available. Thanks again to all
of our amazing volunteers and coordinators who make this effort possible!



The numbers released today show that monarch butterfly populations at
overwintering sites in California may be remaining stable. Volunteers with
the 2014 Xerces Society Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count visited 185
sites, nearly two dozen more than the previous year, and tallied a total of
234,731 monarchs. This is up from the 211,275 counted in 2013. However, the
average number of butterflies per site was slightly down, and the overall
increase is likely due to the fact that more sites were surveyed this fall.



Data collected since 1997 show a considerable decline in the number of
overwintering monarchs. In the first year of the count, over 1.2 million
monarchs were recorded at 101 sites (an average of 12,232 monarchs per
site). In 2014, just 234,731 monarchs were counted at 185 sites—an average
of only 1,268 monarchs per site, representing a decline of 81 percent from
the 1997 high and a 48 percent decline from the 18-year average.



Now in its 18th year, the Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count spans three
weeks over the Thanksgiving holiday and is supported by over 150 volunteers
throughout the state. Volunteer efforts such as this are critically
important to understanding the status of western monarch
butterflies. Estimating the numbers of overwintering butterflies is the
best way to gauge the status of the monarch population. Scientists believe
loss and degradation of both breeding and overwintering habitat, pesticide
use, and drought—exacerbated by climate change—may all be contributing to
the decline in monarch numbers.



Read more here:
http://www.xerces.org/2015/01/14/annual-count-shows-that-number-of-monarch-butterflies-overwintering-in-california-may-be-holding-steady/
<http://www.xerces.org/2015/01/14/annual-count-shows-that-number-of-monarch-butterflies-overwintering-in-california-may-be-holding-steady/?preview=true&preview_id=21356&preview_nonce=8773d38f4d>
.


Cheers,

Candace and Mia

-- 

*Candace Fallon*

Conservation Biologist

Endangered Species Program



*The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation*

*Protecting the Life that Sustains Us*
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