The final survey period of the Xerces Society’s Western Monarch Count ended recorded 6,464 monarch butterflies across 193 overwintering sites. This tally is 47% lower than the mid-season count of 12,260 butterflies, compared with 35%-58% seen in the past ten years.
Monarchs
US Department of Interior Delays Monarch Butterfly Listing Under Endangered Species Act
Recently, the Department of the Interior published an agency rule list which suggests delays in the timeline for monarchs and many other species awaiting listing and delisting actions under the Endangered Species Act.
With Upgraded Transmitters, We Can Now Track Migrating Monarchs Better than Ever
Xerces has been helping to test these new tags for over a year, and we are excited to finally put them into widespread use.
Western Monarchs Experience Average Winter Declines at Overwintering Sites
Migratory western monarchs experienced a 41% seasonal decrease at California overwintering sites compared to peak November tally.
How Urban Pesticides Can Harm Monarch Butterflies: A Cautionary Tale from California
In January 2024, volunteers stumbled upon a devastating scene: scores of dead and dying monarch butterflies near the Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary overwintering grove.
Augustin Garnier of Redondo Beach, California: Coming Full Circle as a Monarch Advocate
Xerces Society member Augustin Garnier recently established a pollinator garden at his local library, attracting the same species of butterfly that originally got him interested in invertebrate conservation years ago.
Noah Raven of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Contagious Empathy for Monarch Butterflies
At 12 years old, Noah Raven is a Xerces member doing incredible work to engage others to help protect monarch butterflies. This young man is the founder of Monarch Defenders, a non-profit with the mission “to save the monarchs from extinction, one garden at a time.”