The Butterfly Apocalypse
Mar. 6th, 2025 10:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmith posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
birdfeedingStudy raises the possibility of a country without butterflies
A sweeping study for the first time tallies butterfly data from more than 76,000 surveys across the continental United States. The results: Butterflies -- all of them -- are disappearing.
Butterflies are disappearing in the United States. All kinds of them. With a speed scientists call alarming, and they are sounding an alarm.
A sweeping new study published in Science for the first time tallies butterfly data from more than 76,000 surveys across the continental United States. The results: between 2000 and 2020, total butterfly abundance fell by 22% across the 554 species counted. That means that for every five individual butterflies within the contiguous U.S. in the year 2000, there were only four in 2020.
ALL OF THEM. Not just monarchs, not just a few endangered species, but ALL THE BUTTERFLIES ARE DYING. When your small generalists are dying out, the mass extinction alarm is going AAAOOOGAH! AAAOOOGAH!
On the bright side, because butterflies are everywhere, this problem is readily in reach of everyone to address.
How You Can Help
Learn what native plants support pollinators in your locale.
Avoid using pesticides in your lawn and gardens.
Check your local nursery for pollinator-safe plants free of pesticides. If there are none, nag them. If there are neonicotinoids, nag them. You can be a complete pain in the ass to save the butterflies, because they are dying due to humans murdering them.
Do you have a big yard? Plant an oak tree. They support 950+ species of butterfly and moth caterpillars. Here are some different species to consider based on your locale. Thus they also support birds and other wildlife that need caterpillars to survive.
Here are more keystone plants that support the most butterflies, divided into native trees, flowering trees, evergreen trees, vines, shrubs, evergreen shrubs, grasses, flowers for sunny sites, groundcovers for sunny sites, groundcovers for shady sites, flowers for shady sites, ferns, and aquatics. Something for everyone!
Do you have a small to medium yard? Plant a butterfly or pollinator patch.
* Monarch Butterfly Wildflower Seed Mix -- American Meadows
This is my favorite, with four milkweeds, big zinnias, and many other flowers.
* Shop Regional Pollinator Wildflower Seed Mixes -- American Meadows
Find one tailored to your locale.
* Regional Wildflower Mixes -- Created by Nature
Another good source of regional mixes.
* Pollinator Conservation Seed Mixes -- Xerxes Society
Regional and thematic mixes.
* Birds and Butterflies Seed Mixes -- OPN Seed
Multiple options for different needs.
* Butterfly Host Seeds -- Joyful Butterfly
* Butterfly Host Plants -- Joyful Butterfly
Live plants with listing of species they host.
* Eastern Monarch Refuge Plant Collection -- American Meadows
Host plants and favorite nectaries.
* Butterfly and Bee-Friendly Collection for the West -- High Country Gardens
Host plants and favorite nectaries, choose 5 or 15 plants.
* Native Plant Finder by Zip Code -- Garden for Wildlife
Get recommendations for your immediate area.
Notice that nobody seems to sell a mix of larval host seeds. The closest is a monarch mix that contains milkweeds. So make a big batch, then package them to give away for Earth Day or at your local seed swap! Collect at least a couple milkweeds for monarchs; dill, fennel, and/or Queen Anne's lace for swallowtails; at least a couple each of goldenrods and asters, both keystone hosts of many species; and some hosts with pretty flowers like false indigo, Joe Pye weed, black-eyed Susans, sunflowers, and wild senna.
No yard? No problem! Buy a native wildflower seed mix (see above), make some seed bombs, and throw them in abandoned lots or any other ignored area.
You can also donate to any of the major wildlife organizations seeking to preserve large areas of land for wildlife. Or look for a local one, like Grand Prairie Friends in central Illinois.
Make a watering station for butterflies, bees, and other insects. This is a lifesaver in hot dry summers. Male butterflies also appreciate a puddler. Add a little mineral salt or sea salt for better nutrients.
A sweeping study for the first time tallies butterfly data from more than 76,000 surveys across the continental United States. The results: Butterflies -- all of them -- are disappearing.
Butterflies are disappearing in the United States. All kinds of them. With a speed scientists call alarming, and they are sounding an alarm.
A sweeping new study published in Science for the first time tallies butterfly data from more than 76,000 surveys across the continental United States. The results: between 2000 and 2020, total butterfly abundance fell by 22% across the 554 species counted. That means that for every five individual butterflies within the contiguous U.S. in the year 2000, there were only four in 2020.
ALL OF THEM. Not just monarchs, not just a few endangered species, but ALL THE BUTTERFLIES ARE DYING. When your small generalists are dying out, the mass extinction alarm is going AAAOOOGAH! AAAOOOGAH!
On the bright side, because butterflies are everywhere, this problem is readily in reach of everyone to address.
How You Can Help
Learn what native plants support pollinators in your locale.
Avoid using pesticides in your lawn and gardens.
Check your local nursery for pollinator-safe plants free of pesticides. If there are none, nag them. If there are neonicotinoids, nag them. You can be a complete pain in the ass to save the butterflies, because they are dying due to humans murdering them.
Do you have a big yard? Plant an oak tree. They support 950+ species of butterfly and moth caterpillars. Here are some different species to consider based on your locale. Thus they also support birds and other wildlife that need caterpillars to survive.
Here are more keystone plants that support the most butterflies, divided into native trees, flowering trees, evergreen trees, vines, shrubs, evergreen shrubs, grasses, flowers for sunny sites, groundcovers for sunny sites, groundcovers for shady sites, flowers for shady sites, ferns, and aquatics. Something for everyone!
Do you have a small to medium yard? Plant a butterfly or pollinator patch.
* Monarch Butterfly Wildflower Seed Mix -- American Meadows
This is my favorite, with four milkweeds, big zinnias, and many other flowers.
* Shop Regional Pollinator Wildflower Seed Mixes -- American Meadows
Find one tailored to your locale.
* Regional Wildflower Mixes -- Created by Nature
Another good source of regional mixes.
* Pollinator Conservation Seed Mixes -- Xerxes Society
Regional and thematic mixes.
* Birds and Butterflies Seed Mixes -- OPN Seed
Multiple options for different needs.
* Butterfly Host Seeds -- Joyful Butterfly
* Butterfly Host Plants -- Joyful Butterfly
Live plants with listing of species they host.
* Eastern Monarch Refuge Plant Collection -- American Meadows
Host plants and favorite nectaries.
* Butterfly and Bee-Friendly Collection for the West -- High Country Gardens
Host plants and favorite nectaries, choose 5 or 15 plants.
* Native Plant Finder by Zip Code -- Garden for Wildlife
Get recommendations for your immediate area.
Notice that nobody seems to sell a mix of larval host seeds. The closest is a monarch mix that contains milkweeds. So make a big batch, then package them to give away for Earth Day or at your local seed swap! Collect at least a couple milkweeds for monarchs; dill, fennel, and/or Queen Anne's lace for swallowtails; at least a couple each of goldenrods and asters, both keystone hosts of many species; and some hosts with pretty flowers like false indigo, Joe Pye weed, black-eyed Susans, sunflowers, and wild senna.
No yard? No problem! Buy a native wildflower seed mix (see above), make some seed bombs, and throw them in abandoned lots or any other ignored area.
You can also donate to any of the major wildlife organizations seeking to preserve large areas of land for wildlife. Or look for a local one, like Grand Prairie Friends in central Illinois.
Make a watering station for butterflies, bees, and other insects. This is a lifesaver in hot dry summers. Male butterflies also appreciate a puddler. Add a little mineral salt or sea salt for better nutrients.
(no subject)
Date: 2025-03-07 08:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2025-03-11 10:50 pm (UTC)Well ...
Date: 2025-03-11 10:58 pm (UTC)When people want what they want and don't care who gets hurt in the process, that's evil. And that's most of modern society.
But it's not everyone, and we don't have to agree with evil lunatics. We can make different choices. I have parts of two different picnic tables covered with my choices, where I've potted up wildflower seeds so they can sprout whenever they feel ready.
Re: Well ...
Date: 2025-03-11 11:24 pm (UTC)Re: Well ...
Date: 2025-03-12 01:06 am (UTC)Most of the time the wasps I get are parasitic wasps who are much more laid-back. I have beautiful blue-winged wasps and some others with white on them. They swarm my sedum and garlic chives in late summer. They prey on the larvae of scarab beetles, like Japanese beetles and Junebugs. It's been several years since the lovely ladies arrived, and the pest beetle populations have plummeted. :D So of course, I have been planting more garlic chives and sedum to pay them for their services.
As a general rule, I leave wildlife alone unless it comes into human territory (better luck next life) or attempts to assault me outdoors.