Danaus plexippus
Hodges #4614
Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge
South Carolina

Note: I have been observing Monarch butterflies for over 50 years and have
noticed a marked decrease in the migratory and single Monarchs over this period.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reports the conservation status of the Monarch as "Near Threatened"
The WWF's 2013 report from Mexico "showed that the number of monarch butterflies
wintering there was at its lowest in 20 years. The number is measure by the amount of
forest they occupy, and in 2013 the number of butterfly acres decreased from about
seven to three.
It appears that climate change threatens to disrupt the monarch butterfly's
annual migration pattern by affecting weather conditions in both wintering grounds
and summer breeding grounds.