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. Monarchs are a critical element in the North American ecosystem, pollinating a number of wild flowers and serving as food for birds and other insects. A survey shows a 15 per cent drop in the forest area occupied by hibernating monarchs in the fir forests of central Mexico this winter. “This year, researchers in the states have identified that we had a number of weather events that likely impacted the migrating population,” said Giles.

Source: thestar March 06, 2018 14:15 UTC