A January 2014 report from the monarchs’ overwintering forest areas in Mexico indicated that only 1.65 acres were occupied by monarchs this winter. That makes this the third straight year of steep declines. The overwintering areas have been monitored since 1993 and the largest occupied area was 45 acres in 1996.
A number of factors have contributed to the decline of the monarch population in recent years. Unusually hot weather in the spring of 2012, unusually cold weather last spring, and the loss of habitat throughout the Great Plains have combined to create hardships for the insects. Higher grain . . .
