Canadian observers say only a small number of monarch butterflies were counted in Canada this summer and they are worried about how many overall will manage the migration to their winter home in Mexico.
One indicator for the robustness of the population is the number of roosts they form in late August and September. Scientists and citizen of a group called Journey North monitor them and had reports of only 17 roosts this year compared with 25 in 2012 and 55 in 2011. “It’s looking pretty bad,” said Elizabeth Howard, director and founder of Journey North.
Changing weather and a loss of habitat are thought to be the main causes of the butterflies’ decline.
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