IS THE MONARCH ENDANGERED?
Although the monarch butterfly is not endangered, the phenomenon of the yearly migration is threatened because people’s needs conflict with the needs of the butterfly.
Each fall millions of monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains migrate from Canada and the United States to Mexico, where they over-winter in 11-14 roosting sites in the oyamel fir forests of the Transvolcanic Range of Mexico.
The butterflies hang from the oyamel trees from November until mid March, protected from winter storms by the thick forest surrounding them. However, because of a growing Mexican population and the economic needs of the peasants living near these forests, trees in nine of the roosting
sites are being logged. The cutting down of the trees on the forest edges means that roosting butterflies have less and less protection and insulation from freezing winds, rain and snow. Thus, large numbers die during storms. In 1992 and 1995 winter storms killed 5-7 million monarchs.