Monarch Butterflies May Soon Go Extinct

More than 500 Species of Butterflies have gone Extinct in the Last 100 Years- and the monarchs are next

Since 1980 the monarch butterfly has disappeared by over 99 percent. Monarch butterflies risk extinction due to pesticides, poisoned habitats, and deforestation.

In July 2022, The International Union for Conservation of Nature put monarch butterflies on the endangered list. In the mid-1990’s there were an estimated 700 million monarch butterflies worldwide. Now, there are only 21 million.

Monarch butterflies pollinate many wild flowers such as calendula, yarrow, and more. Although they used to be something cool to observe in your classroom, they also play an important role in the environment- being an essential part of the food web. Thankfully, it is illegal to take care of one now because they shouldn’t be taken from the wild.

You can help save monarch butterflies in many ways, too! You can make a monarch habitat, plant milkweed, their food, or avoid using pesticides if you have a farm or garden. Also, did you know that mosquito spray doesn’t just kill mosquitoes, they also kill other insects too, like butterflies.

Now, when you save one monarch butterfly, you can know that you are helping one of 21 million. Hopefully, we can work to increase the butterfly population!