MAJOR NEWS There’s currently a rapid decline of butterflies that is becoming an environmental crisis but is being overlooked by the government, businesses, agriculture, and the public. Without butterflies, it will have serious consequences and will affect our ecosystems. The disappearance of butterflies is a huge warning sign that our environment is deteriorating slowly but surely.
A team of researchers led by Collin Edwards has studied the decline of butterfly populations in the United States for over two decades, and identified population trends and the reasons butterflies are dying. The team did this by collecting data from over 12.6 million individuals from over 76,000 surveys across 35 monitoring programs across almost all major regions.
With the research that has accumulated from 2000 to 2020. They published their findings in Science in March 2025, revealing that butterfly populations have decreased by 22% worldwide over the past 20 years.
Butterfly populations declined significantly around the early 2000s for several key reasons.
One of the biggest reasons is habitat destruction from cities being expanded, forests being cleared, and wildflower meadows being destroyed. If this destruction continues, butterflies will lose the places they need to survive and reproduce. Many species also rely on these specific plants that are being destroyed to lay their eggs and to feed when hatched into a caterpillar.
The most important plants for butterflies to survive on are milkweed, passionflower, nettles, wild cherry, tulip tree, sweet bay magnolia, ash, and willow. These plants serve as both food sources and shelter, making them important for butterfly survival, and once these plants are gone, so are the butterflies.
Another major cause of butterfly populations is climate change. With temperatures fluctuating and unpredictable weather patterns that are disrupting the life cycles of butterflies. This becomes a problem because some butterflies hatch too early when their food sources are not available yet, while others struggle to survive in extreme heat or heavy rainfall. The seasonal shifts are also affecting migration routes, making it harder for butterflies to find suitable homes for breeding grounds and resources. Like Monarch butterflies when traveling to Mexico for warmer weather.
Lastly, the widespread use of pesticides and chemicals is also playing a crucial role. The pesticides being used are designed to kill pests, but they are also killing and harming butterflies. Affecting their ability to find food, navigate, and reproduce. In addition, the herbicides used to control weeds are also destroying wildflowers, making survival even more difficult.
Butterfly lives matter. They are essential to maintaining a healthy ecosystem and serve as one of the most important pollinators. As they move from flower to flower, feeding on nectar, they transfer pollen, allowing plants to reproduce, ensuring that flowers, fruits, and vegetables continue to grow. Many plants would struggle to survive without this process, which also impacts other animals, like birds and insects, that rely on these plants for food. Not only that, but humans also benefit every day from them by providing our food and oxygen from plants.
It is also stated in the National Geographic that 1 in 5 butterflies in the United States have disappeared because of how few sightings there are of certain butterfly populations. Over 100 studied species have declined by over 50%, with some regions experiencing more losses.
There is still hope. As Americans, we can take the steps necessary to help butterflies recover.
- First, protect and restore habitats by planting native wildflowers and preserving green spaces that provide nectar for adult butterflies and host plants for caterpillars.
Ex.) Start a garden or greenhouse, create shelter for pupae, provide resting and hiding places, and remove invasive plants.
- Reducing pesticide and herbicide use to ensure butterflies have safe environments to live and feed.
Ex.) Use natural pest control methods or remove weeds by hand.
- Support climate change actions by reducing carbon emissions, promoting renewable energy, and protecting green spaces.
Ex.) Design a butterfly-friendly garden and increase monitoring efforts.
- Raise awareness to get others involved.
Ex.) Volunteer with organizations that work to protect butterfly habitats, support “butterfly friendly” products, help wildland management agencies, and avoid releasing commercially raised butterflies because they bring parasites and disease into wild populations and eat their food while destroying their habitat.
We must take action now to protect the ecosystem that depends on butterflies before it is too late.
What are butterflies?
Butterflies first appeared over 100 million years ago during the Cretaceous period. When some moths evolved into butterflies by feeding on nectar and shifting to daytime activity. The moths that evolved into butterflies became what we see today: colorful, with thin, delicate wings. There are over 18,000 known species of butterflies, and they are a part of the Lepidoptera group.
The process of how butterflies come to life begins with the female that has mated, and they quickly lay eggs on a specific plant. After 3 to 7 days, these eggs hatch into tiny caterpillars or larvae. The caterpillars feed on plants to grow larger, shedding their skin several times for 2 to 4 weeks. Once the caterpillar is finished eating, it hangs upside down into the “J” phase, which typically lasts 10 to 25 hours depending on the temperature. Once ready, it forms a hard shell around itself called a chrysalis or pupa. This begins the metamorphosis process, which can take a few weeks to over a year, depending on the species. After 8 to 12 days in the pupa, the butterfly will emerge, which is called enclosed, and expand its wings, pumping fluid into them. Butterflies must wait for their wings to fully expand, dry and harden in order to take flight to begin feeding and matting. A butterfly's entire life cycle can take anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks, depending on the species.
