The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to list monarch butterflies as threatened.
By Mike Lynch
A popular butterfly that summers in the Adirondacks may get new protections in 2025 in New York and nationwide.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday that it has proposed to list monarch butterflies as threatened under the Endangered Species Act due to declining populations.
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If adopted, the state Department of Environmental Conservation would also list the insect similarly, as it is required by state law.
The listing would make it illegal to intentionally kill monarchs, but it would allow people to continue to interact with the butterflies. People would still be permitted to collect caterpillars and raise them in their homes, botanical gardens, schools and businesses as long as they don’t take more than 250. The same goes for organizations and people who tag them for tracking purposes.
“The iconic monarch butterfly is cherished across North America, captivating children and adults throughout its fascinating life cycle. Despite its fragility, it is remarkably resilient, like many things in nature when we just give them a chance,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams. “Science shows that the monarch needs that chance, and this proposed listing invites and builds on unprecedented public participation in shaping monarch conservation efforts.”
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The ruling aims to increase the amount of such plants, protect overwintering habitat, minimize impacts of insecticides and pesticides to monarch habitat and maintain the public support of the butterfly, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Monarchs arrive in the Adirondacks as temperatures warm in the spring after completing a journey that starts thousands of miles away in Mexico, where they spend the winter. It takes several generations of butterflies to reach northern New York, but a single butterfly, called the super generation, makes the southern migration in the late summer, early fall.
It’s common practice for nature centers and schools to raise the butterflies and teach elementary students about their life cycle.
“They’re probably one of the first wildlife species that kids recognize,” said Justin Levine, senior communications specialist with the Adirondack Council, “and the journey they take across thousands of miles and multiple generations is just incredible and inspiring. So it’s great to have additional protections for these beautiful butterflies.”
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Dan Jenkins, lives outside Tupper Lake, and tags monarchs every summer to track them on their journey to Mexico. He said the number of butterflies he’s seen has decreased over the years. He hopes the listing “raises people’s attention to the parts of the natural world that we don’t think about very much: insects.”
In addition to raising awareness of monarchs, the listing will put more emphasis on the butterfly’s habitat and favorite plant. Milkweed is the only plant monarch’s lay eggs upon, the only food for its caterpillars.
Under the proposal, people will still be able to maintain milkweed gardens and even remove plants from their properties, “so long as these activities do not result in conversion of native or naturalized grassland, shrubland or forested habitat,” according to the proposal.
“Our goal is to substantially increase breeding and migratory habitat through voluntary efforts by encouraging land management and gardening practices that have a net benefit for monarchs,” states the proposal. “We expect localized removal of milkweed and nectar plants will be outweighed by an overall addition of these resources across the landscape, making broadscale public support for monarch conservation vitally important.”
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Monarchs are broken up into western and eastern populations based on their migration routes. The population has declined by about 80 percent in the East in recent decades and 95% in the West, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife.
The probability of extinction for the eastern population ranges from 56% to 74% by 2080, while the probability is greater than 99% for the western insects during that same time period.
A number of factors have led to declining populations, including the loss and degradation of habitat, exposure to insecticides, and effects of climate change, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The increase of severe storms and droughts can impact both the butterflies and their habitat.
“It’s one of the most recognizable wildlife species across North America, and to see declines of 80% or so is really troubling,” Levine said. “So it’s unfortunate that they have to be listed, but it’s a good decision by the Fish and Wildlife Service.”
A 90-day public comment period on the proposal began on Dec. 12.
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There is plenty of milkweed scattered around North America. The problem is, if it gets cut after eggs have been laid or caterpillars are feeding, you not only kill these offspring, but you have interfered with an entire breeding cycle. Mowing fallow fields/grasslands/roadsides at the wrong time of year has a terrible effect on reproductive success of Monarchs in that area.
Yes, you can plant MORE milkweed with some effect on populations, but if we continue to kill eggs/larvae/pupae through indifference, are we making any headway? Monarchs attracted to large patches of “domestic” milkweed may result in high concentrations of eggs/larvae/pupae while simply inviting more natural predators. Milkweed scattered erratically across an area is more natural than monoculture “plots” and likely provides more robust breeding opportunities. Other pollinator plants interspersed across the landscapes provides food for adult pollinator insect species that don’t necessarily nectar on milkweed.
So yes, let’s increase awareness of BOTH milkweed and nectar-rich pollinator plants across our landscapes – but with this comes the RESPONSIBILITY to discontinue indescriminate and innapropriate mowing regimens and pesticide use.
Boreas you beat me to the punch. Mowing the interstate medians and roadsides cost much money and labor. How many miles of milkweed would grow down each median or roadside bank??? And the money saved!!!
Also the pesticides and herbicides coating our agriculture ground every year kills off hundreds of acres of potential wild milkweed plants and butterflies. One or two years of abandoning this practice would probably knock them off the endangered list.
Joe,
I would like to think so, but am not too optimistic. The big question for long-term survival is adaptability. Right now, most of the population overwinters in very specific habitat. Being dependent on specific habitats for ANY organism does not bode well in changing climatic conditions. Ultimately, the Monarch’s unusual migratory nature may be its downfall unless it can adapt quickly. Their migratory nature may be the first behavioral change that needs to occur.
But humans should always be careful to limit our use of -cides of all sorts. We need to learn use scalpels instead of sledge hammers.
Where did the milkweed grow when we had no roads? I am not saying that not mowing these places isn’t a good idea, it is. I am just curious, where they got milkweed before us? It sounds like milkweed is somewhat dependent on some sort of human disturbance.
This article should answer most of you questions. https://www.natureinstitute.org/article/craig-holdrege/the-story-of-an-organism-common-milkweed
Paul,
Disturbance, yes. But it doesn’t have to be human. Fire, floods, slides – anything that disturbs soil. But many species of milkweed do well in natural prairies, riparian areas, and other open areas. Once a seed roots into a plant, it spreads both underground via runners and via seeds. Once established, a patch can be difficult to eradicate – as I found out when planting some in my posy garden. Don’t plant it somewhere you don’t want a LOT of it!
Milkweed is not the type of plant that will choke out your flower beds or garden. I have it growing among my organic vegetable garden for at least 10 years. A great companion plant and looks wonderful and smells great.. It is very delicate and simple to eradicate from an area it is not wanted.
Probably depends on soils and conditions, and the other plants in the garden. Mine has been difficult to control in a sandy/poor soil. Pulling it only helps temporarily. If the expanding runners aren’t found and pulled up, it will continue to move. I started out with two plants and now it is throughout the garden, but I will admit I didn’t get too agressive on control the first year or two. I am not saying it “took over” my beds, but rapidly took over the area it was first planted. I think persistance in my control will be enough at this stage. I have other plantings of different milkweed species scattered around, so am not particularly hesitant to control this patch. I just need to be careful to not remove plants after eggs have been laid, but rather to remove/transplant them earlier in the Spring.
Butterfly weed – another popular milkweed species/ Monarch host – seems to be easier to control.