Featured: Monarch Highway T-Shirt and Monarch Hoodie
Threatened by Extinction
Since the 1980s, both the eastern and western migratory populations of monarch butterflies have suffered a devastating decline of 84-99%, leading to their designation as "endangered" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™. Unfortunately, climate change, deforestation of their winter habitat in Mexico, and the use of pesticides that reduce milkweed availability are the primary factors responsible for the rapid decline of these pollinators.
Monarchs depend on milkweed for survival because it's the only plant where they lay their eggs and a critical food source for their larvae. Milkweed flowers also provide nectar for adult monarchs and vital habitats for other pollinators, whose numbers have declined in recent years.
How tentree’s Helping
In the past, our previous planting project aimed to restore the overwintering habitat of the monarch butterfly, which is located in the unique high-altitude oyamel fir forest of Mexico. Now, we're taking our efforts a step further by expanding them to restore lost habitats along their migratory route. This additional support throughout the monarch butterflies' life cycle will help to safeguard the diverse ecosystems they inhabit, ensuring their survival and protecting the diverse ecosystems they inhabit.
We've partnered with Monarch Joint Venture to plant milkweed in California and the Midwest. As the largest joint effort of its kind, Monarch Joint Venture collaborates with federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and academic programs to protect the monarch migration across the US. Their ambitious goal is to restore 1.8 billion stems of milkweed, helping monarch butterflies thrive and promoting ecosystem health.
The Future Impacts
Monarch butterflies are an essential part of healthy ecosystems. As pollinators, they facilitate the reproduction of countless plant species by transferring pollen between plants, making them crucial to the continuation of many ecosystems. In addition, their long-distance migration helps to connect ecosystems across vast geographical areas, promoting genetic diversity and the exchange of genetic material. They are also a critical source of food for birds, mammals, and other insects, which contributes to the overall balance of the food chain. The presence of monarch butterflies in an area can also indicate the ecosystem's overall health, making their conservation and protection crucial for the health of our planet.
Featured: Monarch Hoodie and Monarch Highway T-Shirt
With every purchase from this collection, we can work together to restore habitats that will nurture the next generation of monarchs and help preserve the delicate balance of these ecosystems.
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