and Canada to their overwintering sites in Mexico. In the fall, monarch butterflies begin their trek from northern locations across the U.S.
Many eastern migrating monarchs will pass through Central Texas before spreading northwards to Canada. The monarch butterfly’s annual spring and summer migration from its overwintering sites to more northern sites overlaps with most of Texas. Depending on the region, multiple generations of monarch butterflies can be seen before the fall migration to overwintering sites. Monarch butterflies migrate from overwintering locations, the largest of which is in Mexico, to more temperate regions that can be thousands of miles from the overwintering areas. Habitat loss, climate change, pesticides and disease were cited as some of the major factors in the species’ decline.
monarch population declining by anywhere from 66% to 91%. has declined by anywhere from 22% to 72% over the past decade, with the western U.S. About the monarchĪccording to IUCN estimates, the eastern monarch population in the U.S. Texas A&M AgriLife entomologists are concerned about the decline in monarch butterfly populations and want Texans and others to understand why these “regal” insects are important to agriculture and the environment. It is a tool for promoting the biodiversity conservation and policy change needed to protect the world’s flora and fauna. The IUNC’s Red List is a comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Laura McKenzie The monarch butterfly has been placed on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Red List as endangered.