Have you ever seen a butterfly? Those beautiful insects that people love to take pictures of. Their symmetrical wings are made out of colorful scales and hairs arranged in an eye-catching pattern. Some look like they have eyes to trick their predator into eating their wings that they can grow back instead of their face. Others are bright colors to tell others they are poisonous. Even some reflect a blue color that changes colors based on where the light source hits caused by their unique structure.
Sadly, some butterfly species populations have decreased over the decades. Such as one of the most known, the iconic orange and black monarch butterflies native to North America. In the late 1990s, their population dropped to one million, after being between four million and ten million. Today, there are about 2,000 or less. Their numbers were being nibbled away from the destruction of their habitat, which eventually put them on the endangered or threatened list under the Endangered Species Act. They were also considered the higher priority. But recent news says they might be making a comeback. This is remarkable news, but that doesn’t mean stopping now. It means to continue this trend to prevent extinction.
In Europe, biologist Constantí Stefanescu walks through the series of fields in Catalonia counting butterflies. He has a drastic change in the biodiversity of butterflies. Farmers stopped mowing the area every year, causing other plants to grow and not the wildflowers. After that, it was the survival of the fittest. Only some were able to adapt to the new conditions, and others weren’t.
Thinking about butterflies brings me back to elementary school, where we went on field trips to these science relative places. One of them had this huge dome that looked like a rain forest inside. I was able to walk on this bridge that went across the room. Sometimes the butterflies would land on my arm, and I was amazed by all the detail they contained.
But besides that, butterflies are essential insects. They are pollinators, like bees. They help contribute plants like flowers to thrive and survive. They play a crucial role in helping biodiversity in plants. It’s like a circle; insects, animals, and plants help each other in a way. They can’t live without one another. And we, humans, also can’t live without them.
Credits:
Canon, G. (2021, November 21). Monarch butterflies may be thriving after years of decline. is it a comeback? The Guardian. From https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/21/western-monarch-butterflies-migration-increase-california.
Huber, B. (2021, November 18). Europe's butterflies are vanishing as small farms disappear. Environment. from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/europe-butterflies-vanishing-along-with-small-farms.
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