Butterflies Galore: Millions Of Monarchs Expected In New York

NEW YORK, NY — A glorious sight is headed for New York State as millions of colorful monarch butterflies are reportedly set to soar across the horizon soon.

According to a post in Only In Your State, a whopping and unprecedented number of the brilliantly hued butterflies are set to arrive across the state, with an estimated 121 million orange beauties expected to migrate north from Mexico somewhere between mid-May and late June — the highest number seen in the past 12 years.

Also, the post said, the monarch butterfly population has grown 144% since last year.

That's great news for butterfly lovers. As recently as last year, concerns were raised about plummeting numbers due to escalating pesticide use and other human activities; also last year, monarch butterflies face renewed threats in North America, where 60 million acres of habitat — an area larger than the state of Minnesota — were sprayed with an herbicide that kills the milkweed monarch caterpillars need to survive, according to a study.

Monarch butterflies were once so plentiful in their winter groves that the sound of their wings resembled a rippling stream or summer rain, according to the Center for Biodiversity. Their populations have plummeted 80 percent in two years, a 2018 post said.

The monarch butterflies or Danaus plexippus plexippus, are known for their long-distance, seasonal migration and "spectacular winter gatherings" in Mexico and California that have signaled the switch from fall to winter, according to a post by The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, which added that the butterflies also symbolize the returning spirits of the deceased in the November celebration of Dia de los Muertos.

The monarch butterfly population has recently been sent spiraling to dangerously low levels on both coasts, but especially on the West Coast, the Society said.

To keep monarch butterflies flocking to your garden and to help them prosper, experts recommend planting milkweed or a butterfly garden. Click here to learn how to create a wildlife-friendly garden.

In addition, experts warn against using pesticides and urge creation of monarch butterfly waystations — and buying organic produce.