"Butterflies are disappearing in Ohio. Here’s what that means for insects everywhere"

Question

by Vicky Stein

A photo show some butterflies sitting on a flower.
Source: LilKar. Shutterstock

For my 11th birthday, I received a perfect, weird, road-trip amusement: a book filled with pictures and descriptions to help kids decode the splatters of insects that smacked into the front of a moving vehicle. Whether that sounds like macabre fun or makes you grumble about keeping the windshield clean, a steep decline in reported bug splatters in recent years should actually make us worried, entomologists and ecologists say.

In a new study published Tuesday in PLOS ONE, a group of researchers analyzed one of the rare data sets that tracks butterfly abundance, taken from 21 years of volunteer surveys in Ohio. They found an average population decline of 2 percent per year, which means that over the course of the study, Ohio lost more than a third of its butterfly population.

Some species of butterflies showed no change in abundance, however, and a few others actually became more common.

“Not everything is going to decline in exactly the same way,” said Corrie Moreau, an entomologist and evolutionary biologist from Cornell University who was not involved in the new research. “But we are seeing, in this study and others, that insects are in a rapid fall.”

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Answer 1

The decline of butterfly populations in Ohio is a concerning indicator of broader environmental issues affecting insects globally. The recent study, which analyzed 21 years of volunteer survey data, revealed an alarming average decline of 2 percent per year, resulting in a significant loss of over a third of Ohio's butterfly population.

While some species remained stable or even increased, the overarching trend indicates a troubling pattern of insect decline. This phenomenon is echoed by experts like Corrie Moreau, who highlights the general rapid decrease in insect populations across various studies. As butterflies play a crucial role in ecosystems—pollinating plants and serving as food for other organisms—their decline could have cascading effects on biodiversity and ecosystem health.

Addressing the factors contributing to this decline, such as habitat loss, climate change, and pesticide use, is essential for the restoration of butterfly populations and the well-being of insects as a whole. The situation in Ohio serves as a microcosm of the challenges faced by insects worldwide, urging both researchers and the public to take action to protect these vital species.