BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A butterfly species known in the Lehigh Valley for its vibrant orange and black wings could soon be under federal protection.
“The eastern and western migrations of monarch butterflies are truly one of the most spectacular phenomena on the planet,” said Muhlenberg College biology professor Marten Edwards. “The quality of life on Earth truly depends on how we treat the environment. The benefits of protecting butterfly habitat extend far beyond the butterflies themselves.
“Promoting butterfly-friendly habitats with wildflowers that fuel the migrating butterflies with nectar, and habitats with milkweed to allow for their reproduction, also serve as habitats for other pollinators, which are essential for many food chains and vastly improve the quality of our own food choices.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service earlier this month announced it’s collecting public input about listing the monarch butterfly under the federal Endangered Species Act. If listed, monarch populations — which have been rapidly declining due to habitat loss and climate change, as well as other factors — will get species-specific protections in the hopes of boosting conservation efforts.
"The challenges to the migrating monarch butterflies are complex and daunting. It is too soon to say that it is ‘too late’ to protect them."Marten Edwards, Muhlenberg College biology professor
“It is exciting that it is happening now and provides a glimmer of hope in the face of some fierce headwinds,” Edwards said. "It is definitely a good thing. Its positive impacts will outweigh all expenses.
“The challenges to the migrating monarch butterflies are complex and daunting. It is too soon to say that it is ‘too late’ to protect them. Other conservation efforts have been successful even when the challenges seemed overwhelming.”
A proposal to list the monarch butterfly, as well as designate critical habitat, was on Dec. 12 published in the “Federal Register.” Residents across the U.S. have until March 12 to submit a comment.
“The iconic monarch butterfly is cherished across North America, captivating children and adults throughout its fascinating lifecycle,” said Martha Williams, service director of U.S. Fish and Wildlife, in a news release. “Despite its fragility, it is remarkably resilient, like many things in nature when we just give them a chance. Science shows that the monarch needs that chance, and this proposed listing invites and builds on unprecedented public participation in shaping monarch conservation efforts.
“Providing monarchs with enough milkweed and nectar plants, even in small areas, can help put them on the road to recovery. Working together, we can help make this extraordinary species a legacy for our children and generations to come.”
‘Declined by approximately 80%’
Divided into east and west populations, depending on migration patterns, monarch butterflies are “among the most recognized, studied and loved of all of North America’s insects,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Their migration is a multi-generational phenomena, with butterflies traveling in groups across the country to warmer overwintering grounds. While western populations spend colder months in California, those from the east spend their winters in central Mexico.
In the 1980s, more than 4.5 million western monarchs traveled to overwintering grounds in coastal California, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In the mid-1990s, an estimated 380 million eastern monarchs made the journey to Mexico.
“Today, the eastern migratory population is estimated to have declined by approximately 80%,” officials said. “The western migratory population has declined by more than 95% since the 1980s, putting the western populations at greater than 99% chance of extinction by 2080.
“During this same period, the probability of extinction for eastern monarchs ranges from 56 to 74%, according to the service’s most recent species status assessment.”
Monarchs depend on milkweed to survive, but native plants are often shouldered out by invasive species, pesticide usage and development, or a combination of each. Plus, increased severe weather events associated with climate change could threaten their migration.
It isn’t the first time environmental officials have spotlighted the species. In July 2022, monarchs were added as “endangered” to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List, due to habitat destruction and climate change.
Including monarchs under the Endangered Species Act, enacted in 1973, would establish protections and authorize financial assistance.
In addition to listing monarchs under the act, officials are also proposing 4,395 acres of critical habitat for the western migratory monarch population across several California counties.
“The call by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service is extremely important since it will provide communities with the legal tools required for local conservation efforts,” Muhlenberg's Edwards said. “Butterfly declines have been observed for several years, and it is becoming more and more obvious that a large scale and coordinated effort is required.”
Including other species on the act’s list has proved to be helpful, specifically for butterflies.
“The Karner Blue butterfly was on the path toward extinction due to habitat loss, but its status as an endangered species in 1992 has been invaluable in allowing organizations like the Nature Conservancy to work toward its recovery in the few places where the butterfly can still be found,” Edwards said.
Monarchs in the Lehigh Valley
In the Lehigh Valley, monarchs generally appear in late June or early July and can be spotted through early October, depending on weather patterns. Usually, they can be found in flower gardens with native plants or preserves near where milkweed grows.
Similar to the birds of prey that trek along the region’s ridgelines, monarchs use the migration superhighway in the Valley’s backyard to travel south.
Each fall, as the migration begins, at least two local groups participate in monarch-tagging. The conservation research project includes tagging the butterflies with a small sticker before uploading tag data through nonprofit Monarch Watch.
For the past several years, officials and volunteers at WM Grand Central Environmental Education Center in Plainfield Township have tagged monarchs.
“It excites our team to hear that public engagement is encouraged, as our habitat projects at the Grand Central Landfill promote community awareness and engagement around this very topic,” said Adrienne Fors, senior community relations specialist for Waste Management’s greater mid-Atlantic region.
“We encourage residents to learn more about monarch butterflies and visit Monarch Watch to see how they can support the conservation initiative.”
Officials at Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center also hold an annual “Monarch Madness” event. At one of the children’s programs this year, only two monarch caterpillars were spotted.
“There are many people and communities who are already committed to the hard work of allowing the monarch butterflies to have a fighting chance at recovery,” Edwards said. “However, without the resources and tools that may become more accessible with the listing, such as critical land protections in the western states, there is little chance that the migrations will continue for much longer."
