Maine farm once overrun by monarchs is tragic proof of the butterfly’s decline

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • July 25, 2022

Heather Halsey looked out her kitchen window Friday morning and watched a lone monarch butterfly flit from milkweed plant to milkweed plant. She recalled a similar morning three years ago, when her farm was covered with thousands of the brightly colored insects. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature estimates the population of monarch butterflies in North America has declined up to 72 percent over 10 years. Though monarch butterflies have been a common sight during Maine summers, the population declines here are due to environmental conditions in the butterflies’ wintering grounds more than 3,000 miles away in Mexico. There is not much Mainers can do to turn the tide for the monarchs.