More than just a beautiful butterfly!
Transcript:
Monarch Butterflies need the Endangered Species Act. Famous for their incredible migration, monarchs are widely distributed across North America, from Central America northwards to southern Canada, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts. Traveling between 1,200 and 2,800 miles or more every year, these insects face a myriad of threats throughout their journey with one of the biggest being human development which threatens these butterflies by fragmenting migration pathways and destroying habitats.
This species is also reliant on one specific plant to host their eggs and caterpillars – milkweed. Their relationship with this plant may be disrupted as the world warms: milkweed may move northward so that butterflies can’t find them; the butterflies may have to make longer, more perilous migrations; and intensifying storms may blow butterflies off course. Pesticides harm species like butterflies even though they are not the target, and overuse of these chemicals destroys important habitats.
Thankfully the Monarch Butterfly has JUST been proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act, so while they still face incredible threats, they may soon have some added protections to overcome them. And that’s why –
Defenders Of Wildlife works on the ground, in the courts, and on Capitol Hill to protect and restore imperiled wildlife and habitats across North America.
Defenders Of Wildlife
