Monarch butterflies are on move. Brian Grimmett, of the Kansas News Service, reports they should make it here in the next few weeks.
Spring Monarch Migration Has Arrived / (newscast version #2)
The annual spring migration of monarch butterflies from Mexico northward has begun and could reach Kansas by early May. Chip Taylor, director of Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas, says while a few monarchs have already been spotted in the state, people should be happy they haven’t shown up yet in larger numbers.
The timing of each step in the migration is greatly affected by the temperature along the path. Monarch butterflies are important pollinators, but have seen a steep population decline since the mid-2000s. Taylor says any hope of restoring their numbers will involve massive habitat restoration efforts and recognition of how climate change is altering the migratory process.