This year's fall monarch butterfly migration through Texas appears smaller and is happening later than usual, according to observers. Researchers believe both changes are signs of how climate disruption is affecting the iconic butterflies.
Many factors impact the monarch population annually, but the biggest one is the availability of milkweed, the plant on which the insect lays its eggs.
In Texas, the severe drought that gripped the state through the summer and into the fall likely decreased not only available milkweed, but also other flowering plants that provide food for the monarchs.
"The butterflies are going to have trouble getting through Texas,鈥� Chip Taylor, the outgoing director of told KUT .
That prediction seems to have been correct, with making it to their winter grounds in Central Mexico.
Many of the butterflies still being spotted in Texas appear to be in no hurry to leave. That鈥檚 likely because fall rain and continued warm weather have brought fresh plant growth to much of the state.
鈥淚鈥檓 actually sitting in my backyard right now and I鈥檓 watching a monarch butterfly,鈥� Monika Maeckle, who tracks the insects and runs the website out of San Antonio, told KUT last week. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a crazy weird year.鈥�
Monarchs are less likely to undertake their migration as long as warm weather and milkweed are available where they live.
鈥淭he butterflies you鈥檙e seeing right now, they were born in the last month, so that would mean they were born in October or early November,鈥� Maeckle said. 鈥淚n San Antonio, we're still find some eggs on milkweed that鈥檚 around. So it鈥檚 like the whole cycle is being pushed.鈥�
Observers at the monarchs' winter grounds in Mexico say they are still seeing some stragglers arriving. But these late-season butterflies are less likely to even undertake the migration.
鈥淚f we don鈥檛 have cold weather it鈥檚 like, 鈥榃hy don鈥檛 I just stay here?'鈥� Maeckle said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 milkweed 鈥� what鈥檚 the motivation?鈥�
Climate researchers say both extreme drought and warmer winters are the result of global warming caused by manmade greenhouse gas emissions.
Conservationists worry that those trends may, one day, end the great monarch migration to and from Mexico every year, leaving remnant populations of non-migrating monarchs.
鈥淵ou see this already in Florida and Houston,鈥� Maeckle said, 鈥渃oastal cities where there鈥檚 local populations of year-round monarch butterflies.鈥�
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