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USA Today
12-03-2025
- General
- USA Today
National Plant a Flower Day: Help pollinators like monarch butterflies with your garden
National Plant a Flower Day: Help pollinators like monarch butterflies with your garden Flowers don't just look pretty! They help pollinators like monarch butterflies thrive. Show Caption Hide Caption Time to change your mind about having carpenter bees in your garden Discover why carpenter bees, despite their bad rap, are essential pollinators and how to coexist peacefully with them in your garden. It's almost spring! And March 12 is National Plant a Flower Day, the perfect day to bask in the sunlight and plant flowers that will help pollinators like the monarch butterfly. The sun is out, the birds are chirping, temperatures are heating up and we just got an extra hour of sunlight after the start of Daylight saving time. So grab your pack of native wildflower seeds, a shovel and some dirt. It's time to make sure your garden is ready for pollinators this spring. Is it too early to start planting? Essential gardening tips no matter where you live Why should you plant flowers on National Plant a Flower Day? Some squeamish folks may not want to hear this, but native flowers and plants are essential for making sure local ecosystems and pollinators, like lovely butterflies or hardworking bees, are healthy. However, due to a multitude of reasons, like the use of pesticides, the world's pollinator populations are dwindling. One example of this is the monarch butterfly. The monarch butterfly's population crept down to the second-lowest number on record in 2024, according to an annual survey from the World Wildlife Fund, WWF. While the butterflies wintered in Mexico, the organization found that the eastern monarch butterfly colonies took up 2.2 acres of regional forests during the 2023-2024 winter season. That's 59% less than the 5.5 acres they occupied the year before. "Fewer monarchs hibernating in their traditional forest habitat in Mexico greatly concerns all of us," Jorge Rickards, general director of WWF Mexico, said in a statement. "This is not the first time we've observed changes in the locations of the largest monarch colonies." Population doubles in 2025 Fortunately, there have been improvements. A new report released on Thursday March 6 shows that in 2025 the butterfly's population nearly doubled. Its wintering population occupied 4.42 acres in Mexico's forests, according to WWF. Despite the progress, the monarch population isn't close to what it should be. "While monarchs occupied nearly twice as much forest habitat as last year, populations remain far below the long-term average," the foundation stated. How gardeners can identify false spring, protect their plants The initial burst of sunshine and warmer temperatures may be a welcome sight, but more often than not, it is a false dawn. When spring-like temperatures arrive earlier than usual, they are typically followed by wintery conditions, hence the term 'false spring.' unbranded - Lifestyle How to help monarch butterflies and other pollinators Everyone can take part in helping butterflies regain their population, and folks don't even need a backyard to do it. Just some dirt, seeds and a few pots. "Most of the country falls in the monarch migratory pattern range," Deborah Seiler, the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation's communications director, previously told USA TODAY. "It's a species where almost everyone has an opportunity to help." The Nature Conservancy says one of the best things folks can do to support pollinators, in general, is to create a pollinator garden. By starting one of these gardens with milkweed and native wildflowers, you essentially create a smorgasbord of delectable treats for any pollinator, like bees, hummingbirds and other butterflies, but especially the monarch butterflies. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet of nectar that will help support this delicate butterfly on their treacherous journey to and from Mexico's forests. Plant native wildflowers After all, it is National Plant a Flower Day. Monarch caterpillars are picky, but monarch butterflies- not so much. The website Xerces has a guide on what flowers should be planted and when they bloom based on each country's region. Having a well-rounded garden that constantly has blooms available for monarchs as they migrate is how one can make sure their garden is constantly providing nectar for the butterflies. For example, plants like scorpion's-tail and seaside goldenrod grow year-round in Florida. The seaside goldenrod can tolerate sandy soils and saltwater spray while also being an important nectar source for migrating monarchs. A plant like this is ideal for the state because it sees the monarchs year-round, while states in the Southeast region mentioned above only see the bugs from April to July and then from August to November. Contributing: Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@
The Guardian
11-03-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Eastern monarch butterfly population doubles in a year
The population of eastern monarch butterflies – who migrate from Canada and the US to Mexico during the winter – has nearly doubled over the last year, according to a recent report commissioned in Mexico, generating optimism among nature preservationists. The modest growth in numbers for the orange-and-black butterflies follows years of ongoing conservation efforts – and perhaps provides a sliver of optimism after otherwise discouraging long-term trends for the species. Another recent study found that the butterfly population in the US specifically shrank by 22% over the last two decades. And this past December, the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed protecting monarch butterflies as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in response to years of advocacy by conservation groups. A statement from Jorge Rickards, the director general of Mexico's World Wildlife Fund branch, acknowledged the need to convert the short-term gains into long-term ones for monarch butterflies to stop being considered endangered. 'It's now time to turn this year's increase into a lasting trend with an all-hands approach where governments, landowners, conservationists, and citizens continue to safeguard critical habitats along the monarch's North American migratory route,' the statement said. The statement said Rickards's organization recognized 'the key role of local communities, as well as the support of the government of Mexico, in … providing this iconic species with the opportunity to thrive'. The survey, titled Forest Area Occupied by Monarch Butterflies Colonies in Mexico During the 2024-2025 Hibernation Season, serves as a crucial indicator of the overall health of the butterfly population. It is part of a series of annual reports by WWF Mexico and Mexico's National Commission of Protected Natural Areas, in collaboration with local communities. The report found that monarchs that migrated to central Mexico's forests occupied 4.42 acres (1.78 hectares), which was up from 2.22 acres during the previous winter. Nonetheless, though these butterflies occupied nearly twice as much forest habitat compared with previous years, the number of monarchs remains far below the long-term average. Scientists say that better weather conditions in 2024 – which saw less severe droughts compared with previous years along the butterflies' migration route – probably contributed to the population growth. At the end of summer, eastern monarchs fly together from the northern US and southern Canada to high-elevation fir forests in Mexico. The population size is determined by measuring the area of trees turned a vibrant orange by the clusters of bright butterflies.
