Natural History Wanderings

NPR reports

The monarch butterfly is widely recognized and widely dispersed across North America and it’s in trouble. Federal officials decide soon whether it gets protection under the Endangered Species Act.

In early December, federal wildlife officials will decide whether the monarch butterfly, which pollinates plants and flutters through backyards in nearly every U.S. state, is deserving of federal protections.

The decision comes after a decade of efforts by wildlife groups, ecologists as well as non-scientists, who have documented declining monarch populations. And a diverse network of monarch enthusiasts, conservation efforts and landowners are anxious to see whether or how the federal government plans to protect the widespread monarch.

Read more at Monarch butterfly may be listed soon as threatened or endangered : NPR