Monarch Butterfly (Colourized) note card

Monarch Butterfly (Colourized). Hand drawn in ink 2004 and colourized on computer in 2016. Since the 1980s Western Monarch butterflies have declined by over 99%. These butterflies are on the edge of extinction, and without rapid changes, future generations may never get the opportunity to glimpse the fluttering wings of these brightly coloured pollinators in real life – only in history books. The pesticide / herbicide glyphosate is wiping out the only food source for monarch caterpillars. Milkweed for monarchs is essential for their lives, but it’s being decimated with herbicides used in agriculture, roadside ditch maintenance, residential lawns, and public parks. Pesticide / herbicide use is at an all-time high, and with the population of milkweed decreasing, it’s no wonder that monarchs are now endangered. Monarch butterflies depend on specific habitats for their winter hibernation, migration, and reproduction. Changes to the temperature due to climate change have disrupted crucial stages in the monarch’s life cycle. As climate change accelerates, so does the stress on the butterflies at the beginning of the overwintering stage. Monarch butterflies are not extinct — yet — but these pollinators could be gone within our lifetimes. Sadly, the damage already has been done. Human population was 2.3 Billion in 1932 when my parents were born. Now it is over 8 Billion. So, food production is the urgency right now (especially with the evil Russian war on the food basket of the world Ukraine) ... weed killers are required to increase food production ... glyphosate is the current weed killer of choice all over the world. Realistically, Monarch Butterflies are doomed. Enjoy them while you can.