Iowa’s Monarch Butterfly Population on an Alarming Decline

I'm a fan of pictures in general.  Take em' and I'll look at em'. I like to see the angles, and how the shot is composed or sometimes not composed.  It's fun and when you pair it with something you really like, all the more fun.  Nature happens all around us and trying to catch a perfect shot is all about luck.  Yes, you can have all the F stops ya want but if your subject isn't up to snuff. Well, all those stops, won't help.  I find it much more helpful when the subject you're looking for is right in the photographic crosshairs.

The trouble is that subject seems to be on the decline in Iowa and I'm not the only one noticing.  That subject is butterflies.  Ask my wife, if I've said it once this year I've said it a hundred times, where are the big butterflies? It's not been a good year for seeing them.  I saw one about a month ago and about knocked the people I was with, over, to get my gear.  I think I've seen two Monarchs this year between Iowa & Illinois.  That's not good, in contrast, because I went back and looked.  I have folders full of butterflies in years past with two sightings, this year, and only one set of pictures to show for it. The Monarchs are missing in Iowa, Illinois, and elsewhere.   I did catch some shots of other butterflies and they're here.

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I wrote my article after reading a story in the Gazette about the loss of Monarch butterflies in Iowa. Butterflies are quite awesome.  Sometimes they're like birds and take off with the slightest movement and you get zero shots.  Others sit and let you take hundreds of shots and it's you who walks away not the butterfly flexing its wings to make a quick getaway.

It's distressing to learn that scientists are noticing not just a lack of Monarchs but that an alarming number has disappeared.  This is with backyard breeders trying to help the population along. According to the Gazette Tracking of butterflies in Iowa is handled by the Iowa Butterfly Survey Network.  They monitor butterfly populations and educate Iowans about butterflies.

What is threatening butterflies?

Butterflies face threats from all angles.  The University of Arizona says 'Habitat loss: Development for residential, commercial, and agricultural purposes has led to habitat loss and change." The Center for Biological Diversity claims 'Climate change: Climate change affects butterflies in many ways, including harsher winters, erratic weather, and fall warming trends.' The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation says 'Widespread use of pesticides and herbicides threatens butterflies directly and indirectly as well as invasive plants'.  They also claim logging and the shift from natural ecosystems to industrial agriculture have had a significant impact on butterflies.