Scientists are tracking an alarming drop in the monarch butterfly population and it can impact everyone.

According to researchers, the monarch population in Mexico this winter was the smallest it’s been in the past decade of monitoring.

The monarch’s striking orange and black pattern makes you stop and stare when you see it. Lately, it’s rare to see a monarch butterfly land on a plant or flutter by.

In St. Paul, the Monarch Joint Venture studies the insect.

“We won’t know what this year officially has looked like until those numbers are released early next spring or late next winter,” Katie Puffer, Monarch Joint Venture, said. “Anecdotally, we’ve heard a lot of questions from people wondering why they’ve seen fewer monarchs this summer.”

Experts explained people are not seeing monarchs as much because of habitat loss, pesticides and extreme weather events.

Milkweed is like a magnet for monarch butterflies because it’s where they land, but there’s not enough to go around.

It’s a reality that could have a domino effect on humans.

“Pollinators are really one of the backbones of our entire food systems so if we don’t have pollinators, our food systems start to collapse,” Puffer said.
 
Experts said Minnesotans can do their part by planting more milkweed or nectar plants and using pesticides responsibly so these insects will persist.

“Knowing that’s the solution to the problem, and then not doing something, I wouldn’t be able to not do anything, and I hope that’s the case for a lot of other people too,” Puffer said.

If you want to learn more about this type of butterfly, the Monarch Festival is Saturday, September 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Minneapolis to raise awareness about this ongoing issue. The festival is held east of Lake Nokomis Community Center.