Latest Butterflies News
Decades after a US butterfly species vanished, a close relative is released to fill gap
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — More than 80 years ago, a beautiful butterfly called Xerces Blue that once fluttered among San Francisco's coastal dunes went extinct as stately homes, museums and parks ate up its habitat, marking the first butterfly species in the United States to disappear due to human...
Students lobby to dethrone Connecticut's state insect, the voraciously predatory praying mantis
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — When it comes to state insects, most states honor beloved and benign bugs, like butterflies, honey bees and ladybugs. Connecticut has designated a voracious predator as its bug-to-be-most-proud-of for decades, but its reign could soon come to an end. The...
A New York collector pleads guilty to smuggling rare birdwing butterflies
NEW YORK (AP) — A Long Island man has pleaded guilty to illegally trafficking birdwing butterflies and other rare insects, according to a plea deal filed in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday. Charles Limmer, 75, of Commack, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to smuggle wildlife...
The number of monarch butterflies at their Mexico wintering sites has plummeted this year
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The number of monarch butterflies at their wintering areas in Mexico dropped by 59% this year to the second lowest level since record keeping began, experts said Wednesday, blaming heat, drought and loss of habitat. The butterflies’ migration from Canada and...
Western monarch butterflies overwintering in California dropped by 30% last year, researchers say
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The number of western monarch butterflies overwintering in California dropped by 30% last year, likely due to how wet it was, researchers said Tuesday. Volunteers who visited sites in California and Arizona around Thanksgiving tallied more than 230,000...
