Are Monarch Butterflies Endangered?

[@joanniejett]

Observational data from hand watering for an elderly member of our native plant society's garden in central Salado compared to observation on 30 acres on the west border of Salado. I haven't seen more than a handful of monarchs which I had attributed to our dry season and current lack for forage resources. But I was encouraged when helping a friend who had been admitted to the hospital, I started watering a very dry flower landscape and it took about 2 weeks of watering every 2-3 days, 2 gallons of water per pollinator plant before the nectar started flowing again. I also started putting out shallow drinking dishes with plenty of solid platform material and each time I watered I would fill those trays. The last 2 weeks of watering have been accompanied by clouds of butterflies, masonry bees, bumble bees and especially monarchs. Each time I water there are small clouds of them attending to several flowering native species. The bumble bees got there first but they were followed by the butterflies after 5-6 days. I am still growing out more native species in our small nursery to invest in more food for the butterflies and bumble bees on our 30 acres and I hope that helping local homes reclaim more native landscapes in dry hardy gardens can be a positive step. I would love to invite y'all for a visit if you're interested in how we are trying to connect with local communities for native plants and drought hardy soil enriching landscapes. Great video!!

[@tammiedunbar6166]

I live in Georgia in zone 8a or 8b depending upon the Winter temperatures. I garden for pollinators have nectar plants and also, host plants. I haven't seen any Monarch Butterflies or their caterpillars on any of my milkweed host plants and I have a large patch to support them. Thank you for this presentation now I'm aware why their migration patterns are off rhythm. I usually see the second generation some times in the mid spring here. And maybe a few during the last generation during the fall migration. The fall of 2021 I saw Monarch Caterpillars on butter fly weed. I was puzzled to see them during the fall. I haven't seen any yet in my garden yet in 2024 . I saw one monarch at the Garden Center Monday feeding on the Butterfly bush flowers. Thank you for this presentation it answered some of my questions of what is happening with the Monarch Butterflies.

[@huckmosby]

I live in Burnet and we've had more Monarchs in our garden in the last couple of weeks than in the past two years combined - by a lot.

[@Bradwick1]

Geoengineering of course is never mentioned in regard to climate change. Dropping tons of nanoparticulate on the planet in the name of fighting climate change seems to be the single most invisible and unmentionable factor. When it comes to the mystery of why insects such as bees and butterflies (canaries in the coal mine) start dropping, the solution has been made a career ending third rail in all discussions.

[@apattonfineart5121]

We have lots of monarchs on our butterfly milkweed

[@BryceGarling]

Monarchs are an introduced species around the world. It won't go extinct