The Western population of the monarch butterfly has declined to a near-record low with fewer than 10,000 found living in California this winter, a foreboding sign for the future of the beloved black-and-orange insect.

In 2023, more than 16,000 butterflies were counted at one local grove. The most recent count was a tiny fraction of that.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is taking steps to list monarch butterflies as threatened species and designate seven coastal California counties as critical habitats.

The count estimated a winter population of 9,119 monarchs this year as climate change, habitat loss, pesticides and disease contributed to the near record-low. These numbers are only slightly above the all-time low of less than 2,

The Western population of the monarch butterfly hit a near-record low with fewer than 10,000 found living in California this winter, a foreboding sign.