California
Related: About this forumCalifornia's Monarch butterflies population has all but collapsed
Disappearing act: Californias monarch butterfliesBY EUGENE KO MARCH 15, 2019
Once home to millions of migrating monarch butterflies, the coast of California has recently seen significant drops in monarch butterfly populations. Monarch butterflies migrate great distances seasonally, traveling thousands of miles to nest along the West Coast. However, according to a study released by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, the number of butterflies found in overwintering sites has decreased by 89 percent from the last year, going from 148,000 to only 30,000 butterflies. This marks an overall a 96 percent drop from the 1980s, where 10 million monarchs made the trip annually. Scientists are debating as to whether the butterflies have passed the point of no return, and if there is anything that can be done to help.
http://peninsulapress.com/2019/03/15/disappearing-act-californias-monarch-butterflies/
Silver Gaia
(4,544 posts)tecelote
(5,122 posts)Why insect populations are plummetingand why it matters
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/02/why-insect-populations-are-plummeting-and-why-it-matters/
Plummeting insect numbers 'threaten collapse of nature'
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/10/plummeting-insect-numbers-threaten-collapse-of-nature
Insects Are Dying Off at an Alarming Rate
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/study-shows-global-insect-populations-have-crashed-last-decade-180971474/
Socal31
(2,484 posts)I have lived in OC since the 90s, and this made me remember how often I would see them back then.
Sad
BigmanPigman
(51,609 posts)and she noticed it to but thought it was just her. But I read an article here on DU within the past two weeks which said that there is a mass migration going on at the time, the biggest in years.
2naSalit
(86,647 posts)Monarchs have been in trouble for a long time and may not survive our lifestyles. Once in a while I see a Monarch in my area, we have milk weed in the lower elevations.
BigmanPigman
(51,609 posts)She grows Milkweed in her garden and made a nursery for them in her bathroom. I used to raise silkworms.
appalachiablue
(41,145 posts)Last edited Fri Apr 5, 2019, 07:53 AM - Edit history (1)
for those paying attention for several years.
The Guardian, Feb 10, 2019. The worlds insects are hurtling down the path to extinction, threatening a catastrophic collapse of natures ecosystems, according to the first global scientific review. More than 40% of insect species are declining and a third are endangered, the analysis found. The rate of extinction is eight times faster than that of mammals, birds and reptiles. The total mass of insects is falling by a precipitous 2.5% a year, according to the best data available, suggesting they could vanish within a century.
The planet is at the start of a sixth mass extinction in its history, with huge losses already reported in larger animals that are easier to study. But insects are by far the most varied and abundant animals, outweighing humanity by 17 times. They are essential for the proper functioning of all ecosystems, the researchers say, as food for other creatures, pollinators and recyclers of nutrients.
> Unless we change our ways of producing food, insects as a whole will go down the path of extinction in a few decades, they write. The repercussions this will have for the planets ecosystems are catastrophic to say the least....
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/10/plummeting-insect-numbers-threaten-collapse-of-nature
pazzyanne
(6,556 posts)as well as the people who use their chemicals to thank for this. Chemicals applied by vehicle drawn apparatuses are bad enough, but every time I see aerial spraying being done, I am reminded of the damage being done to the ecosystem. Progress does not always equal healthy, as we find this out every day.
Bernardo de La Paz
(49,007 posts)The Pave The Earth crowd, often Evangelicals, have the attitude that their "god" gave them "dominion" over the Earth. As Dominionists they don't think of stewardship for their grandchildren and the seven generations; they think of plunder and exploitation and kill anything that gets in the way. They behave as if completely ignorant of ecology and especially its major implication that everything is connected and interdependent.