"Catastrophic" Study Results - Butterfly Numbers Down 22% In Lower 48 States Between 2000 And 2020
The total number of butterflies in the contiguous United States has declined 22 percent over a 20-year period, according to a study in the journal Science, as shrinking habitat, rising temperatures and a toxic array of pesticides kill off the delicate insects. The study, published Thursday in the journal Science, is the most comprehensive tally of U.S. butterfly populations to date.
Nick Haddad, a Michigan State University ecologist who co-wrote the study, said he once had a hard time believing his neighbors when they told him they see fewer butterflies than in the past. “In my mind, I was nodding, thinking, ‘Oh, they just went out on a bad day,’” he said. But now, the data has him convinced. “Butterflies are vanishing from the face of the earth,” he added.
The crisis for butterflies is part of a troubling downturn in the number of bumblebees, fireflies and other insects that has been observed in Europe, the Caribbean and other places worldwide. It could signal a potential “bugpocalypse” that scientists are fiercely debating — a shift that may spell trouble for both nature and society.
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Researchers looked at over 12 million butterfly observations taken in 35 different monitoring programs across the contiguous United States from 2000 to 2020 for the study. Some of those observations involved walking a predetermined path and noting every butterfly seen. Other counts were as informal as jotting down butterflies observed during a park visit. Both professional scientists and dedicated amateur enthusiasts collected crucial data. “Scientists could not get all the data we used,” Haddad said. “It took this incredible grassroots effort of people interested in nature.”
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/03/06/butterfly-decline-research-population-crisis/
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