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An astonishing number of global species are seeking out cooler climes.
Dear Reader,
Butterflies have become a part of global culture, representative of both fragility and strength, freedom, and, of course, transformation. And now one of the most thorough studies ever conducted on the state of the world’s butterflies has concluded that butterflies are on the move, relocating from where most of them currently reside in the world’s biodiversity hotspots to areas where they aren’t typically found. And what’s driving this migration is, primarily, rising temperatures and habitat destruction due to agriculture, according to this story in The Anthropocene.
“Much as Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring tied the pesticide-induced loss of insects to broader ecological mayhem [read more about Carson’s early research in this Bluedot story], so people can read a bigger message into the movement of butterflies,” the story tells us. “Butterflies are early warning indicators,” said Shawan Chowdhury, the study’s lead author. “If their ranges are shifting this dramatically, it signals profound changes across ecosystems.”
We can take our cues from others who’ve found ways to help the butterflies in their region, including this woman in Australia who created a pollinator pathway, Bluedot gardening contributor Laura McLean, who built a Monarch waystation, and these hellstrip heroes who turned ugly patches of sidewalk into butterfly rest stops.
And don’t miss this Dear Dot from the archives where yours truly helps a Toronto-area man grow milkweed — the Monarch’s favorite food!
One more thing: Dot has a favor to ask. We at Bluedot are planning how to deliver more of what you’ve come to love, and also seeking to build our community. So we want your ideas! What would you love to see from Bluedot?
More recipes? Live events? Practical guides? A place to connect with fellow readers? Give us just 90 seconds of your time to fill out a survey, and we’ll give you 10% off any purchase in our store as our thank you.
Flutteringly,
Dot
For more Bluedot Climate Quick Tips, click here.
