The International Union for the Conservation of Nature added the monarch butterfly to its red list and they are now classified as endangered. Monarch butterflies live all across North America, and are the most recognizable butterfly species. They migrate to Mexico for the winter, and return north as far as Canada in the summer, leaving eggs along their path. That's the longest migration of any known insect species. But the population of monarchs has declined over the past decade, somewhere between 22% and 72%, depending on the measurement method used. Biologists attribute the decline to herbicides, pesticides, climate change, and loss of habitat.
What can you do to help monarch butterflies survive and thrive? The easiest thing you can do is to plant milkweed, which the butterflies eat and lay their eggs on. Read more about the plight of monarch butterflies at AP.
(Image credit: Rhododendrites)
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