[Leps-l] "disappearance of migrating monarchs ultimately could foster a sense of futility about conservation efforts"

[Mike Quinn]

University of Minnesota butterfly expert confronts monarch decline

[Minneapolis] Star Tribune
ANDREW WAGAMAN
August 8, 2013

Monarch butterflies may be struggling, but [Karen Oberhauser,] a
University of Minnesota scientist, has dedicated her life to their
study and preservation.

<snips>

Monarch larvae feed exclusively on milkweed, which has seen a 58
percent decrease across the Midwest between 1999 and 2010 because of
herbicide use and loss of habitat. On what milkweed remains,
Oberhauser’s Monarch Larva Monitoring Project has found record low
rates of larvae and caterpillars. She and other conservation
biologists say that while the monarch probably won’t go extinct, the
future of its migration could be in jeopardy.

If that happens, Oberhauser said, we would lose one of the most
popular, most accessible ambassadors to the natural world. The
disappearance of migrating monarchs ultimately could foster a sense of
futility about conservation efforts, such as Oberhauser’s.

“I don’t just want to be someone that documented the demise of
monarchs,” she said.

Last summer, the Minnesota monarch population crashed. This summer,
Oberhauser says, rates started low and are staying low. Monarch larvae
have been found on less than 5 percent of milkweed plants in the
state, according to her data.

full:
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/218717721.html?page=all&prepage=3&c=y#continue

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Mike Quinn, Austin
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Texas Entomology
http://texasento.net