Butterfly populations plummet by 22% in US since turn of century

Will Dunham - Reuters - 08/03
The population of butterflies - the beautiful insects that play a vital role in pollination and the health of ecosystems - has fallen in the United States by more than a fifth this century, according to research spanning hundreds of species from the red admiral butterfly to the American lady to the cabbage white.
  • Survey data spanned millions of butterflies in 554 species
  • Population declines were largest in the southwestern US Butterflies are important pollinators and food for birds
WASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - The population of butterflies - the beautiful insects that play a vital role in pollination and the health of ecosystems - has fallen in the United States by more than a fifth this century, according to research spanning hundreds of species from the red admiral butterfly to the American lady to the cabbage white.
Data from about 76,000 butterfly surveys conducted by various groups documenting millions of the insects representing 554 species showed that their numbers dropped by 22% from 2000 to 2020 in the contiguous United States, researchers said. The scientists attributed the decrease to factors including habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change.
Population declines were largest in the southwestern region spanning Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
Among the 342 butterfly species documented in the study that had sufficient data to analyze their numerical trends, 114 of them - about a third of the total - sustained losses, including 107 down by more than 50% and 22 off by more than 90%. The numbers for four butterflies - the Florida white, Hermes copper, tailed orange and Mitchell's satyr - plummeted by more than 99%. Nine species - about 3% of the total - showed gains.
Among some common species, the red admiral declined by 58%, the cabbage white slipp...
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