Natural History Wanderings

The Revelator

Western monarchs face myriad threats. A network of advocates is doing everything they can to mitigate the dangers and unravel mysteries about monarch movements and behavior.

In 2023 volunteers counted 16,000 western monarch butterflies at the eucalyptus grove in Pismo Beach, California. In 2024 they counted fewer than 200. “I just stood in the grove and wept,” one volunteer wrote. But they didn’t give up.

Red more Meet the Passionate Advocates Trying to Save Western Monarch Butterflies • The Revelator