Is the mighty monarch on its last wings? CBC’s Robert Sheppard looks into it in this insightful piece. Here’s an excerpt:

Butterfly counters in central Connecticut, Martha’s Vineyard and upstate New York were all reporting larger sightings of monarchs this year than last, though still down by historical levels…anecdotally at least, it is looking like a good year for the mighty monarch, the marvel of the insect world, after a couple of disastrous winters in Mexico and a vicious hurricane season last fall that buffeted them on their migration south. Still, conservationists are worried that what we are seeing here is the butterfly equivalent of the dead-cat bounce, to mix a metaphor. And that the eastern North American monarch, one of the wonders of nature, is continuing its steady decline toward extinction. By mid-century, some experts say, monarchs won’t be found outside of a few dedicated sanctuaries.

And while we’re on the subject, The World of the Monarch Butterfly by Eric S. Grace is a fantastic read too.