Drought affecting butterfly population in W. Ky.

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Associated Press

Story Created: Sat Sep 15, 2012 2:09 PM

Story Updated: Sat Sep 15, 2012 2:09 PM

HENDERSON, Ky. (AP) - A naturalist at Audubon State Park in western Kentucky is noticing another effect of the high heat and drought that has plagued the region - a dearth of monarch butterflies.

Julie McDonald told The Gleaner (http://bit.ly/PjqHrQ) that the butterflies are usually migrating through the area to Mexico by now, but she hasn't seen any yet. McDonald says the weather has affected everything that feeds on nectar, including butterflies.
She says the scarcity of monarch butterflies makes it more important for volunteers to participate in a program later this month to catch and tag the insects so that researchers can find out more about them.
Chip Taylor, who is director of the conservation group Monarch Watch, says the number of monarch butterflies was in decline even before the drought.
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Information from: The Gleaner, http://www.thegleaner.com/
 
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