Butterflies are Disappearing

Monarch butterflies have the important job of pollination, but their worldwide population is falling.

In California, an organization found that there were very few monarch butterflies visiting in the 2018 winter so far. The organization found an 86% decline in the number of butterflies that people observed. However, the organization counts for several weeks, so people are still sending in data.

Worldwide, the population of all butterflies fell by 0.05 per cent. Researchers think that habitat loss and pesticides may have contributed, and by fixing these problems and by increasing conservation, people can help the butterflies.

Difficult words: pollination (spreading flower pollen to other flowers to make more plants), decline (a fall), habitat (an animal’s natural home), pesticide (a chemical that people use to kill insects), contribute (add up to a problem).