By Zamone Perez
Virginia News Connection
Monarch butterfly populations have rebounded this year, according to a new report. But one expert emphasizes caution, and offers ways for Virginians to help support the iconic insect during its cross-continent migration.
Because monarch butterflies are a challenge to count individually, scientists in Mexico measure the area in which they spend the winter months. This year, monarchs overwintered across more than seven acres of land, up from just 4.4 acres the year before. That makes it the second year of population growth for the monarch, which faced its second lowest population in 2023.
Despite the increase in population, said Leone Brown, an assistant professor of biology at James Madison University, scientists will need more year-over-year data to see if the population is truly rebounding.
“Population numbers, especially insect populations, naturally fluctuate, and so you don’t expect it to be the exact same as it was the previous year,” she said. “It’s either going to be a little higher or a little bit lower. You have to keep that in mind. It’s really the long-term trends that we want to pay attention to.”
Since the 1980s, monarch butterfly populations have declined by more than 80%. Monarch butterflies weigh less than a paper clip and can travel more than 3,000 miles during their migration.
Brown said waystations play an important role in monarch migrations and can help raise up the next generation of butterflies. She encouraged people to plant pollinator flowers that bloom at different times of the year, along with milkweed plants, the only thing monarch caterpillars will eat.
“Especially when they’re migrants, they need nectar plants,” she said. “Plants that are blooming later in the fall are going to help the migrants that are passing through. Plants that are blooming earlier, in combination with milkweed, will attract breeding monarchs that will then be able to go into the garden and then get the energy they need to move on to the next garden, and then they also will lay their eggs.”
Individuals, organizations, local governments and conservation groups have registered more than 2,500 monarch way stations across the Commonwealth.
