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#Butterflies in the #US are disappearing at a ‘catastrophic’ rate
Butterflies are rapidly fluttering out of existence from coast to coast at a rate that scientists worry could upend #ecosystems & undercut #pollination that sustains America’s #crops.
The total number of butterflies in the contiguous US has declined 22% over a 20yr period, as shrinking #habitat, rising #temperatures & a #toxic array of #pesticides kill off the delicate insects.
#ClimateCrisis #ClimateChange
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adw1633
The crisis for #butterflies is part of a troubling downturn in the number of #bumblebees, #fireflies & other #insects that has been observed in Europe, the Caribbean & other places worldwide. It could signal a potential “#bugpocalypse” that scientists are fiercely debating — a shift that may spell trouble for both #nature & #society.
The loss of #insects — “the little things that run the world,” as naturalist E.O. Wilson once put it — has dire implications for #ecosystems in which #birds & #mammals rely on them for #food & #plants depend on them for pollination. #Farmers & gardeners, meanwhile, may be losing allies that act as #pollinators & natural pest control.
@Nonilex This year I ended my annual practice of raking up the fall leaves in the hope that it'll help the insects out a little
https://xerces.org/leave-the-leaves
@Nonilex Also will be putting in wildflowers that attract pollinators. Seed comes pretty cheaply, and there are plenty of options for any region
(US-centric link here, but I'm sure similar resources exist for other locales)
https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/what-should-i-plant-native-wildflowers-by-region
@Nonilex i’m in Ireland and there is an obvious decline in insect and butterfly population. Car windscreen is not littered w bugs like 30yrs ago. Lack of pollination is a serious global threat