Plummeting number of monarch butterflies in Texas need your help. Here’s how
The monarch butterfly, state insect of Texas, has been rapidly declining in number over the last 20 years, going down by 95% according to some estimates.
Every spring and fall, millions of monarch butterflies come to Texas on their way to and from Mexico. Monarchs pass through Texas each fall on their way from Canada to Mexico, where they spend the winter. Texans start seeing monarchs in August, then peak migration happens in early October. They get to Mexico in early November, before heading north and returning to Texas in March to look for milkweeds and lay eggs.
“Overall numbers of monarch butterflies in Mexico are declining,” said Carol Clark, Monarch Watch conservation specialist for North Texas. “What happens to monarchs in Texas affects that overall population number.”
On July 21, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature put the migratory monarch butterfly on the endangered species list, saying the population has shrunk by between 22% and 72% over the past decade. The western population is at greatest risk of extinction, IUCN said, having declined from as many as 10 million to 1,914 butterflies between the 1980s and 2021. The larger eastern population also shrunk by 84% from 1996 to 2014.
In 2020, Texas A&M noted that migration numbers were down to about 141.5 million, compared to 300 million in 2019. And in 2021, they dwindled down to an estimated 105 million. This year, it’s possible that we’ll see even smaller numbers of monarch butterflies fly through the state. That’s because they’re threatened by habitat loss, pesticide use, increase in disease and loss of milkweeds and nectar plants in landscapes where they used to grow.
“There is some information coming from the North that people are seeing monarchs later and in fewer numbers, but lots of factors play into those final migratory numbers and there’s still time for monarchs to do well,” Clark said. “A lot of it will depend on weather in many different parts of the country, and so that is a little bit hard to predict at this point.”
Once they pass through Texas this fall, the drought could make conditions worse for the insects.
“When it stays dry for the fall migration, then monarchs cannot fatten up as they pass through Texas, which they need to do, they won’t have enough fat stores to get through the winter in Mexico,” Clark said. “So if the drought persists into fall, we won’t have the wildflowers that they need to fatten up on the way to Mexico.”
How to help monarch butterflies
There are a few simple ways you can make an immediate difference for the monarchs, including reducing pesticide use and increasing habitats. The best part — you’ll have your own butterfly garden to marvel at the brightly colored insects.
“You can’t wait for the government to do something, it will be too late,” Clark said. “If we manage to save the monarch migration, it’s going to be through individual action, people acting on any size piece of land they have influence over and simply planting wildflowers for nectar and native milkweeds.”
In the spring, monarchs need milkweeds to lay their eggs on and nectar plants for energy. If they don’t have that, the monarchs can’t breed and fly north, Clark said. In the fall, they need nectar plants for their journey to Mexico.
You don’t have to be a master gardener to help save the iconic butterflies. Putting out a pot on your balcony or yard with a milkweed and a nectar plant should do the trick, Clark says. To step it up a notch if you have more outdoor space for gardening, you can plant several types of nectar plants along with native milkweeds.
Texas Parks and Wildlife suggests the following nectar plants for a butterfly garden:
Purple Coneflower
Gregg’s Mistflower
White Mistflower
Indian Blanket
Gayfeather
Frostweed
Golden Eye Daisy
Texas Kidneywood
Horsemint
Elbowbush
Turk’s Cap
Phlox
Texas Lantana
Bee Brush
“If Texas doesn’t do its part, then the cycle is broken, and the monarchs really have trouble continuing,” Clark said. “Just watering a little home patch of flowers turns out to be really important in a dry fall, where there may not be so many flowers in the landscape.”
Where to see monarch butterflies in Texas
Celebrate the arrival of the rare monarch butterflies to Texas with butterfly gardens, butterfly releases, festivals and educational programming.
“The monarch butterfly is as beautiful and memorable as a Texas sunset, soaring above all other insects in its nobility and determination, and its unique relationship with Texas makes it a truly appropriate symbol of the majestic spirit of the Lone Star State,” the state legislature wrote when it designated the monarch the state insect on June 16, 1995.
Native Texas Butterfly House & Garden
Where: Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary — 1 Nature Place, McKinney
When: Saturday, June 4 - Sunday, Oct. 2
Price: Included in general admission, free for Heard Museum members, buy at heardmuseum.org/tickets/
From June to October, Native Texas Butterfly House and Garden visitors can walk among native butterflies and other pollinators. You’ll be able to get a closeup look at them while learning about their life stages and other fun facts, and you may even witness a butterfly emerge from its chrysalis. Visitors are also able to feed nectar plants to the butterflies and host plants to the caterpillars.
Monarch Celebration
Where: Wildseed Farms — 100 Legacy Dr, Fredericksburg
When: Oct. 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Price: Free
Wildseed Farms is a wildflower farm that has been growing fields of wildflowers for over 35 years. It’s the nation’s largest working wildflower farm, with over 200 acres in Fredericksburg alone. In October, the farm will be celebrating the monarch migration with a tagging demonstration and release.
Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival
Where: Brackenridge Park — 3910 N. St. Mary’s, San Antonio
When: Saturday, Oct. 8, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Price: Free
The Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival takes flight in October as migrating monarch butterflies move through the state. The seventh annual festival starts with a parade, followed by tagging monarch butterflies in honor of loved ones, waggle dancing, and maneuvering a monarch migration obstacle course. If you’d like to tag a butterfly in honor of a friend, family member or loved one, details are provided online.
Butterfly Flutterby
Where: Grapevine Botanical Gardens at Heritage Park
When: Saturday, Oct. 15, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Price: Entrance is free. Some vendor activities or food services may have a fee.
Bring your entire family to celebrate the monarch butterfly migration at the 25th Annual Butterfly Flutterby in Grapevine. It all starts with a parade, where prizes will be awarded to the kids and pets with the best costumes. You can also take part in a live monarch butterfly release, and learn about them with a hands-on exhibit and storytime. Stop by the arts and crafts station to make a pet bandana, pom pom caterpillar or handprinted butterfly on a stick. Lastly, browse an art gallery showcasing kindergarten through fifth grader artists from the Grapevine/Colleyville Independent School District, and a display with over 300 butterflies from around the world.
Texas Butterfly Festival
Where: National Butterfly Center — 3333 Butterfly Park, Mission
When: Oct. 29 to Nov. 1
Price: $355 per member and $395 for non-members
The National Butterfly Center is a 100-acre native plant botanical garden and wildlife preserve established by the North American Butterfly Association to advance its mission of education and conservation. The center will be hosting the 26th Annual Texas Butterfly Festival, a three-day event where attendees can expect to see more than 60 butterfly species in a day.
