Number of monarch butterflies wintering in Mexico drops 22%

By MARK STEVENSON and ARMANDO SOLÍS
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The number of monarch butterflies wintering in the mountains of central Mexico dropped 22%, and the number of trees lost in their favored wintering ground more than tripled compared to last year. The director of Mexico’s nature reserves said Monday that frost and “extreme temperatures” in the United States may have played a role in the butterfly’s decline. The area occupied by the monarchs in the mountains west of Mexico City dropped to 5.4 acres from 7 acres. Each year the monarchs return to the United States and Canada on an annual migration.