The Monarch butterfly population has been declining owing to droughts and wildfires in recent years.
Researchers from the Texas A&M University warn that this year Monarch butterflies, which mark the Spring and Summer season, may not be in plentiful across the U.S. The culprit for this, according to researchers is the ongoing drought and recent wildfires in Texas that destroyed their food sources.
"The severe drought in Texas and much of the Southwest continues to wreak havoc with the number of monarchs," said butterfly tracker Craig Wilson, a senior research associate at Texas A&M University.
At this time of the year, these butterflies are seen in huge numbers in Texas as they enter the U.S. from Mexico. However, last year Texas experienced its hottest year according to the National Climatic Data Center.
"The conditions have been dry both here and in Mexico in recent years," Wilson said. "It takes four generations of the insects to make it all of the way up to Canada, and because of lack of milkweed along the way, a lot of them just don't make it."
Milkweed is the staple diet of these butterflies and usually grows in the wild. However, Wilson reveals that the changing farming practices like the use of herbicides have declined the growth of this plant.
"But if people want to help, they can pick up some milkweed plants right now at local farmer's cooperative stores," Wilson said, "and this would no doubt be a big boost to help in their migration journey. It is important to have a national priority of planting milkweed to assure there will be monarchs in the future. If we could get several states to collaborate, we might be able to provide a 'feeding' corridor right up to Canada for the monarchs."
