Mourning cloak that I photographed 10 years ago.LEBANON, OH — Several years ago, I thought I noticed a decline in the butterfly population. This year, I’m absolutely certain we don’t have as many as we once did. They don’t flutter around gardens and visit flowerbeds like they used to. They’re also hard to find in rural areas where they used to be in abundance. Their presence has dwindled to a trickle. When I looked through my records, I saw that I last photographed a mourning cloak 10 years ago. And mourning cloaks are one of the species that show up first each year.
Tiger SwallowtailAlso missing are the large swallowtails and checkered white butterflies,
Large Fritillary:not to mention the legendary monarch.
Monarch:Even the humble cabbage white butterfly has declined sharply
Cabbage white butterfly: as well as the common horse chestnut tree.
Common horse chestnut:If this trend continues, we will see dark times for nature. It could mean a disturbing future for other life forms in the ecosystem, which in many cases are interdependent.
At first I thought I might be misinterpreting the situation, but recently I’ve heard from others who have independently reached the same conclusion. And I don’t just mean local observers. I’ve received corroborating reports of butterfly population declines from as far away as Utica, New York.
My opinion expressed here is based on nothing more than personal observations. I have not conducted a scientific study. However, there seems to be literature that supports my observations and points to what I feared as the cause: habitat loss, pesticides and herbicides. In fact, some articles suggest that the decline in butterflies may be just the tip of the iceberg.
Many other insect species could also disappear. Insects are at the bottom of the food chain in natural ecosystems. If the ecosystem is destroyed by insect extinction, we will live in a different world – one we may not recognize.
