The news from this year’s monarch butterfly migrations appears to be good for both eastern and western populations. The news about western populations is especially good. Last year was so disastrous that people were openly predicting their inevitable extinction. Monarch migrations are complex affairs, and, due to many diverse threats, both populations’ numbers have been decreasing dramatically. For this reason, any good news is very good news.

Western monarch populations

Last year, the western population, which overwinters in California, dropped to virtually zero. Only around 2,000 butterflies were counted. Unexpectedly, western monarchs rebounded spectacularly this year. The Xerces Society counted more than 100,000 butterflies in their wintering grounds. While this is still a steep drop from the million butterflies that were overwintering in the ’90s, it gives hope that maybe this population can stage a permanent comeback.

Eastern monarch populations

I haven’t read any information about monarch counts at their Mexican overwintering sites, yet. However, groups counting migrating monarchs in Texas are optimistic that this has been a good year. In fact, it may be too early to count their numbers in Mexico. Reports of migrating monarch are still trickling in, even from northern parts of the country. It has been a warm fall for many, and late fall wildflowers are still blooming in many areas, including my own yard. This has allowed many butterflies to continue flying for much longer than usual.

Help and hope

We need many more years like this to keep monarchs around, of course. Anything we can do as individuals to reduce threats and increase numbers will be beneficial. Planting monarch-friendly plants and reducing pesticide use are two things gardeners can do. Many are already doing these things. Planting native milkweeds and other pollinator-friendly plants is more popular than ever. My social media feeds are full of gardeners wanting to do their part, and I have to believe it is helping. An additional source of hope: the recently passed infrastructure bill dedicates funds to benefit monarchs and other pollinators, an important step to ensuring we don’t lose these iconic butterflies forever.