But scientists Monday said the number of monarch butterflies which will start their annual, 5,000-kilometre migration north to Canadian gardens and wild flower patches this summer is down sharply thanks to extreme weather last fall. In absolute terms, that’s likely a loss of about 16 million butterflies compared with this time last year. Monarch butterflies have already been assessed as endangered in Canada, she said. Habitat loss due to deforestation coupled with extreme weather events linked to climate change are largely to blame, says the WWF report. “It’s a species we can all help and I think we all love and care about this species,” she said.

Source: National Post March 06, 2018 14:03 UTC