The Indoor Conservatory at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden is host to a variety of butterflies from all over the world. When you make a stop here, you are guaranteed to see these beautiful animals flutter around.
To see them out in the wild, now is the time to start looking.
Every spring, monarch butterflies migrate from the mountains in Mexico through the state of Texas on their journey northward into Canada. If you want to get a glimpse of them in your yard or neighboring park, it may be harder to spot them. The monarch butterfly population is at a record low number this year.
“Monarch population numbers that were taken early February 2024 show a 59% decline in monarch numbers,” says Keith Brock, director of grounds and operations at the Ft. Worth Botanic Gardens. “Numbers you see coming back through in the spring migration will not be there”.
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Butterfly populations are low this year because of drought conditions.
Drought conditions were present in October 2023 when butterflies were traveling south into Mexico for the winter. Extreme to exceptional drought conditions were present along their journey taking away plants that host and provide nectar.
The record low numbers do not mean the monarchs could be a disappearing species.
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“Monarch population numbers can fluctuate greatly from year to year. Last year, they were up 35%. This year, they're down 59%. So they show their selves to be very resilient. They will bounce back quickly, but it's going to depend on weather conditions, the environments they encounter as they move through the country,” Brock said.
You can help the butterfly population by filling your yard with the right type of plants.
You need both host and nectar plants. A good option to plant here is native milkweed.
