Monarch butterfly numbers hit all time low

[treesparrow]

Headline -

Illegal logging means bad news for Monarchs

http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/article/9/166/monarch_butterfly_numbers_hit_all_time_low.html

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The article makes reference to the species' wintering sites in Mexico. Has anyone noticed a corresponding decline in numbers during the summer months in the US over the last few years?

 

[cholas]

Hi Treesparrow,
Interesting find. Red flags went up at the mention of World Wildlife Fund though, and from what I understand, the area in Michoacan where Monarchs winter is 'protected'. Of course that could mean anything.

What I would surmise though is that the 'illegal logging' may be playing a small part but is overwhelmingly secondary to overall climate change. Like many parts of the world, we have had very odd winters of late, it being cold and wet rather than warm and dry.

Not sure on this but could the WWF be involved in damage-control, finding 'man-made' reasons for various extinctions and brushing aside the reality of cyclic change?