Xerces Society’s Path to Butterfly Recovery

Jennifer Duffield White

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation just unveiled a report that provides a roadmap for recovering butterfly populations across the United States. It identifies three main drivers of population decline: habitat loss, certain pesticide use and climate change. The report pulls together core conservation actions, covering hundreds of species and a diverse U.S. landscape. 

What can help? Working lands with the right plantings (including at nurseries), home and public landscapes with appropriate plants, community programs and applied science. 

The Xerces Society said, “Butterfly habitat should be woven into all parts of our landscapes—farmland, utility corridors, solar arrays, bike paths, roadsides, natural areas, and backyard and community gardens—to provide homes for common and wide-ranging butterflies, as well as rare and at-risk species.” GP