Exploring why butterflies are declining in the Midwest

Part 2 of a 3-part series about recent studies that explore reasons behind losing 20% of butterflies over the last 20 years in the U.S.

Hi everyone,

Here’s the second installment of the butterfly decline series I started yesterday. This part explores the loss of butterflies in the Midwest, with researchers discovering that insecticides, more than any other cause, are likely driving the losses.

If you missed the first post, you can find it here: Why are butterflies declining all over the U.S.?

The role of insecticides in the loss of butterflies

Another recent study took a closer look at the butterfly data from just the Midwest to determine why butterflies are declining there.

“In any paper you read about butterfly or insect decline, it ends with there’s three possible global changes that affect decline – land use, climate change or insecticide use, and that’s where all the other studies leave it,” said Nick Haddad, a professor of integrative biology at Michigan State University and one of t…