Butterflies are special. Few other insects inspire the same level of poetry, songs, and art.
Gentle and beautiful butterflies have long been a part of communities in southern Illinois. They help pollinate our flowers and crops. Their caterpillars eat plants, keeping them from overgrowth, and are food for many birds and other animals.
They’re a crucial and joyful part of life as we know it.
But a recent study published in Science illustrates what many people in southern Illinois have noticed for a long time – 1 in 5 butterflies have disappeared in the U.S. over last 20 years.
What’s causing their rapid decline? Three major things:
Haphazard development has broken up and paved over meadows and prairies that butterflies need for food and reproduction. Extreme heat and drought are drying out their remaining habitats and plants they need. Lastly, pesticide use has increased over the last two decades, especially in the Midwest, which has significantly impacted butterflies and other insects like bees.
Nationwide, many butterflies are facing extinction. In Illinois, seven are listed as threatened or endangered.
The Monarch Butterfly was recently proposed as a threatened species in the United States because of dramatic population loss.
The good news? It may be possible to reverse this trend.
Because insects like butterflies can reproduce rapidly, their species has the potential to recover more quickly than other animals, like black bears, that reproduce at a slower rate.
Conserving and restoring natural habitats will ensure butterflies continue to have the plants and spaces they need to survive. Prairies, marshes, and forests are all important for butterflies and other pollinators.
If you have a yard or open space, incorporating native flowers, grasses and trees, as well as using less or eliminating pesticide in your home garden will help provide safe spaces for caterpillars and nectaring butterflies.
Farms can help, too. Many farmers in southern Illinois are incorporating pollinator habitats as part of healthy soil and water management. The bonus is that the butterflies, bees, and other insects they attract help pollinate crops and create natural pest management.
Cities and villages can also play an important role in this effort. Towns can update ordinances to encourage butterfly meadows and native plant landscaping. Some local towns, like Edwardsville and Carbondale, already require city-owned properties to incorporate native plants in the landscaping. Rainwater basins, which are typically covered in lawn, can be converted to native wildflowers that support butterflies.
Together, we can all take action to help reverse the loss of butterflies in southern Illinois.
Butterflies used to reproduce on the native plants that grew in our yards before the plants were bulldozed and replaced with lawn. To have butterflies in our future, we need to replace those lost host plants, no if’s, and’s or but’s. If we do not, butterfly populations will continue to decline with every new house that is built.