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Dr. Universe: How Can A Regular Person Make A Big Difference In Society? \u2014 Zachary, 11, California<\/p>\nDr. Universe: How Can A Regular Person Make A Big Difference In Society? \u2014 Zachary, 11, California<\/p>\n
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Dear Zachary,<\/p>\n
Butterflies are in trouble. That\u2019s what I learned when I read the first ever complete report about them. It was produced by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and led my friend Cheryl Schultz. She\u2019s a conservation biologist at Washington State University.<\/p>\n
It made me think about your question. Taking care of butterflies\u2014and other beneficial insects\u2014is one way to make the world a better place.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the situation: The report looked at monitoring data for 342 butterfly species. That\u2019s about half of known U.S. species. They found that butterfly numbers declined 22% from 2000 to 2020. Let\u2019s say someone counted 100 individual butterflies in 2000. They would only see 78 butterflies during the same count in 2020.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn many ways, it\u2019s depressing because there are so many butterflies tanking,\u201d says Schultz. \u201cBut there are things we can do\u2026and, collectively, we can make a big difference.\u201d It turns out butterfly lovers in our region (the Pacific Northwest) may be in a good position to help our fluttery neighbors.<\/p>\n
The numbers for Pacific Northwest butterflies dropped just 2.7%. If we look at groups of butterflies (species) instead of individual butterflies, about 25% showed significant declines. That\u2019s stark. But the declines here may be less severe than in other parts of the country.<\/p>\n
Regional experts are already using the data to make decisions. \u201cWhat we\u2019re trying to do in Washington is incorporate those species into our priorities,\u201d says Ross Winton of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. \u201cJust like we need systematic monitoring, we need a systematic approach to identifying our conservation needs.\u201d<\/p>\n
We know why butterflies are disappearing. They\u2019re losing habitat. That can happen when people use land for new things. Like making cities or expanding farm fields. It can happen if the habitat gets broken into patches. Many butterflies can\u2019t fly from one patch of habitat to the next. It\u2019s too far for them.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re hurt by pesticides. Some of these target insects. But butterflies are insects, too. They may get killed or harmed by accident. Some target plants. They may poison the plants butterflies use. It\u2019s a tricky balance to use chemicals to help us grow enough food and still protect beneficial insects.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re at risk from climate stress. As the planet warms, flowers may bloom and wither earlier. The right flowers might not be around at the same time the butterflies are.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what we can do now to help butterflies. Learn more about butterflies. Butterflies need three things. They need nectar plants to eat. They need host plants for their babies. They need year-round, connected habitat. Plant nectar plants that bloom through spring, summer and fall. Adult butterflies feed on sweet flower nectar. Many butterflies eat all spring, summer, and fall. Install native plants when you can. But don\u2019t pull any flowering plants without replacing them. Provide host plants for caterpillars. Butterflies lay eggs on or near plants their caterpillars can eat. Those host plants may be different from their nectar plants.<\/p>\n
Support wild spaces. Some butterflies are strong fliers. But many are habitat specialists. They stick close to home. They need connected wild patches to move around the landscape. That gives them places to rest and refuel. It helps them seek mates, avoid predators, and find new places to lay eggs. In the winter, many butterflies hunker down. They need dense plants or leaf litter.<\/p>\n
Reduce pesticides. Use non-chemical techniques to manage pests, especially around your home and water sources. Never use pesticides on flowering weeds\u2014because butterflies might visit them. Help keep wild spaces that connect patches of habitat healthy. That\u2019s places like bike paths or roadsides. Speak up for butterflies in your community.<\/p>\n
Look for butterflies around you. You may spot butterflies when you\u2019re gardening, fishing, hunting, or walking your dog. Snap photos. Identify what you see using apps like Seek. Upload your observations to iNaturalist. Then scientists can use your pics for science. Last year, a photo alerted Washington scientists to a new population of Taylor\u2019s checkerspot butterflies. Now they can monitor those endangered butterflies.<\/p>\n
Butterflies do big jobs. They help pollinate our wildflowers and crops. They make great meals for birds and other animals. And they\u2019re environmental sentinels. They inform us about the health of our ecosystems. Plus, protecting butterflies also helps less familiar insects.<\/p>\n
You butter believe actions you take for these flittering animals make a big difference.<\/p>\n
Sincerely,<\/p>\n
Dr. Universe<\/p>\n
Ask Dr. Universe is a science-education project from Washington State University. Visit AskDrUniverse.wsu.edu to read more Q&A\u2019s, or to send in a science question of your own \u2013 or that of a kid you know \u2013 for a chance to be featured in a future Q&A. Or you can write to: Ask Dr. Universe Washington State University ITB 2013B Pullman, WA 99164<\/p>\n
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\u00a0This is Fender\u2019s Blue. It\u2019s a native butterfly in Oregon\u2019s Willamette Valley. There used to be fewer than 1,500 of these butterflies left. But people worked together to save them. Now there are more than 30,000.<\/p>\n
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These are the butterfly monitoring sites in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Adapted from Edwards et al. (2025)<\/p>\n
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On the left, the arrows show that many butterflies can\u2019t fly between natural areas. On the right, the are patches of habitat. They\u2019re like stepping stones. Butterflies can take breaks there as they travel. Adapted from Pollinator Pathways\/Warren SWCD<\/p>\n
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Monarch caterpillars only chow down on milkweed (showy milkweed, left). But adult monarchs sip nectar from lots of flowers (Lewis\u2019 mock orange, right).<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
This is Taylor\u2019s checkerspot. It\u2019s endangered. Protecting this butterfly is part of the Washington State Wildlife Action Plan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dr. Universe: How Can A Regular Person Make A Big Difference In Society? \u2014 Zachary, 11, California \u00a0…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":314960,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-314959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=314959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314959\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/314960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=314959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=314959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=314959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}