8-14-2024 9:44pm

Vanishing Butterflies

Beth Callahan Editor

Nature Close to Home and Ohio Certified Volunteer Naturalist Dave Woehr shares monthly naturalist stories.

LEBANON, OH -- Several years ago I thought I began to notice a decline in butterflies. This year I am absolutely sure we don’t have as many as we once did. They are not flitting through the yard visiting the flower beds as they did in bygone times. They are also hard to find in rural agricultural settings where they once abounded. Their presence has diminished to just a trickle. Checking my records I see that the last Mourning Cloak I photographed was 10 years ago. And, Mourning Cloaks are one of the earliest species to make an appearance each year.

Also missing from the scene are the large swallowtails and fritillaries,

not to mention the iconic Monarch.

Even the lowly Cabbage White is way down in numbers

as is the Common Buckeye.

If this trend continues much longer it’s going to be a somber time for nature. It may portend a troubling future for other life forms in the ecosystem which in many cases are interdependent.

At first I thought it might just be me misinterpreting the situation, but recently I’ve heard from others who have independently come to the same conclusion. And I don’t mean just local observers. I’ve had confirming reports of butterfly decline from as far away as Utica, New York.

My opinion expressed here is not based on anything except personal observation. I have not conducted a scientific study. However, there seems to be some literature out there that supports my observations and points to what I feared may be the culprit: habitat loss, pesticides, and herbicides. In fact, some articles indicate the decline of butterflies may be just the tip of the iceberg.

Many other insect species may also be disappearing. Insects are just about the bottom of the food web in natural ecosystems. If the ecosystem is brought down by insect declines we will find ourselves living in a different kind of world – one we may not recognize.