Posts Tagged: Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation

Western Monarch Population Increase: What Does This Mean?

What does the increase in the overwintering Western monarch population along coastal California mean? The number...

Overwintering monarchs at Pacific Grove, California, in 2016. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Overwintering monarchs at Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz, in 2016. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This migratory male monarch, released Aug. 28, 2016 by Steve Johnson of Ashland as part of the David James' citizen scientist project, fluttered into Vacaville, Calif. on Sept. 5, 2016, on its way to an overwintering site along coastal California. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

This migratory male monarch, released Aug. 28, 2016 by Steve Johnson of Ashland as part of the David James' citizen scientist project, fluttered into Vacaville, Calif. on Sept. 5, 2016, on its way to an overwintering site along coastal California. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Monarch Population May Be 'Fluttering Back'

Let the count begin! Researchers and volunteers in a three-week project headed by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation are now...

A cluster of monarchs overwintering in an 80-foot-high eucalyptus tree at the Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz, on Nov. 14, 2016. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A cluster of monarchs overwintering in an 80-foot-high eucalyptus tree at the Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz, on Nov. 14, 2016. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

No Federal Protection for the Monarch Butterflies

Yes, monarch butterflies qualify for the Endangered Species list. But no, we can't protect them because we don't have the money. That's the gist of...

A monarch butterfly nectaring on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifolia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A monarch butterfly nectaring on a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifolia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male monarch spreads its wings as it nectars on Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifolia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male monarch spreads its wings as it nectars on Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifolia. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Monarchs overwintering in the Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz, in 2016. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Monarchs overwintering in the Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz, in 2016. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Memorable Year for the Western Monarchs

It's definitely going to be quite a memorable year for the Western monarch butterflies--memorable as in "record low populations at the...

Monarchs overwintering in the Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz, in 2016. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Monarchs overwintering in the Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz, in 2016. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male monarch nectaring on Mexican sunflower, Tithonia, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male monarch nectaring on Mexican sunflower, Tithonia, in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A Troubling Question: Why Are the Monarchs Declining in the West?

The question is troubling: What's going on with the monarch butterfly population in the West? The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation...

A male monarch nectaring on Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A male monarch nectaring on Mexican sunflower (Tithonia) in Vacaville, Calif. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A monarch sipping nectar from its host plant, milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A monarch sipping nectar from its host plant, milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Read more