Butterfly populations are plummeting across the United States
Sunday, March 9, 2025 - 16:54
in Biology & Nature
The American lady ( Vanessa virginiensis ) is one of the most common and widespread butterflies across the United States. But over the past 2 decades, this orange-and-black beauty—along with almost all other species of butterfly—have become less abundant, according to a nationwide study published today in Science . Such losses don’t just make the world less pretty. In the caterpillar stage of their life, butterflies are a vital source of food for birds. They are also important pollinators, including of crops. “This brings home the enormity of the problem,” says Martin Warren, an entomologist with Butterfly Conservation Europe who was not involved in the...
