CALIFORNIA — Conservation groups have reported an 86 percent decline in the populations of the iconic monarch butterfly in California.<br /><br />Data from an invertebrate animal conservation group called Xerces Society revealed that counts of overwintering monarch butterflies found in California had plummeted from 148,000 in 2017 to just 20,456 in a year.<br /><br />According to research published in the Biological Conservation journal, monarch butterflies have a 72 percent risk of becoming extinct in 20 years.<br /><br />Several factors contribute to the dramatic decrease in monarch butterfly populations including habitat loss, pesticide use, and climate change.<br /><br />According to National Geographic, rising levels of carbon dioxide may be contaminating milkweed — a flowering plant that is the sole food source of the monarch caterpillar.<br /><br />Increasing temperatures may also affect the monarch butterfly's migration route, pushing butterflies to travel further up north and affecting summer breeding areas.<br /><br />Xerces Society is encouraging people to help restore the monarch butterfly population by planting nectar sources and milkweed and reducing pesticide use.
