by Priscilla Feral

During summer travels and backyard observations, there have been fewer sightings of monarch butterflies by Friends of Animals’ staff.

We’ve planted milkweed in our own yards and have pressed members to do the same as it’s the only source of food for monarch caterpillars before they become butterflies. Monarch caterpillars can eat 200 times their own weight in milkweed leaves within a couple of weeks. Without milkweed, the caterpillar doesn’t become a butterfly.

Adult monarchs feed on nectar and will visit many kinds of flowers in their search for food throughout the year, so planting nectar-rich native wildflowers, trees and shrubs is also crucial.

We all must do our part because within the last decade the eastern population (which overwinters in Mexico) and the western population (which overwinters in California) has plummeted because of loss of habitat, widespread use of herbicides and logging at overwintering sites in Mexico.

While we believe we can help monarch populations rebound, they really need to be listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—which is anticipated to happen in December 2024.

It’s better late than never. FoA has waited a decade for this ESA determination. If they are listed as endangered, then federal agencies will have to consult with FWS on any project they authorize, fund or carry out to ensure that action won’t jeopardize or adversely modify critical butterfly habitat. An ESA listing also protects monarchs from toxic pesticides.

From 1996 to 2020, the eastern monarch population dropped 88 percent, from an estimated 383 million to just under 45 million, according to FWS. Since the 1980s, the western overwintering population has dropped more than 99 percent, from 4.5 million to just 1,914 monarchs in 2020. In 2021, the population rebounded slightly to 250,000, according to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

If FWS fails to list them, we expect legal challenges to that decision.