Imagine that you are preparing a project with your friend. You have found some interesting material for the presentation and you want to read this text to your friend. You have 1.5 minutes to read the text silently, then be ready to read it out aloud. You will not have more than 1.5 minutes to read it.
Monarch butterfly populations in California reached a historic low in 2018, according to a new count. It estimates that the number of monarchs dropped 86% from 2017. Experts say monarchs are in danger of extinction in the next several decades if nothing is done to save the species.
Each year, environmental groups count monarch butterflies in California. They do so at 97 sites across the state. Last year, they counted fewer than 30,000 butterflies. 2018 was a tough year to be a monarch butterfly in the West. Weather conditions may be one reason for the drop in numbers. But other factors could also be at play. These include habitat loss and pesticides. Climate change could also be making an impact. What people can and should be working on is addressing and reversing widespread habitat oss and pesticide use throughout the monarch’s range.