Good News for Eastern Monarch Butterfly Population

The latest numbers for the eastern monarch butterfly population have just been released and posted by Monarch Watch, and there’s some good news to report. The species has experienced a precipitous decline over the last twenty years, but going into 2019 the population is 144 percent larger than last year and higher than it’s been in over a decade. While the western monarch population continues to decline, this is an encouraging sign that favorable weather conditions coupled with the work of cities, farmers and individual gardeners to plant native milkweed and nectar plants could be paying off for the eastern population.

We still have a lot of work to do — including creating more habitat, reducing the use of harmful pesticides and addressing climate change — but this is a good indicator that our work is starting to show results. The species will remain a focus for the National Wildlife Federation. You can get involved by planting a wildlife habitat garden to help monarchs.

Here is the chart tracking the numbers of the eastern monarch population over the last few decades, courtesy of Monarch Watch.