Monarch butterfly numbers at Pismo Grove have dropped significantly this year, according to the nonprofit Xerces Society’s annual count. 556 western monarchs were counted in Pismo this season—thousands fewer than usual.
Statewide, numbers hit near-record lows, with just over 9,000 butterflies counted. That’s the second-lowest overwintering population since tracking began in 1997.
Randy Widera with the California State Parks Foundation said drought and wildfires this year likely reduced milkweed and nectar plants, making it harder for monarchs to reproduce.
“They’re very emblematic of what's happening to a lot of our native species, in that with habitat decline and the changes to our environment with climate change, it's putting a lot of stress on the monarchs,” Widera said.
A recent federal assessment predicts a 95% chance monarchs will go extinct by 2080. As key pollinators, their decline could impact many other species.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering listing western monarchs as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, which would grant them more protections.