“At every stage in their migration, they are threatened by climate change,” said Eduardo Rendón, the monarch butterfly coordinator for the World Wildlife Fund in Mexico. This has proved extremely important for scientific research on climate change. In the late part of the winter and early part of the spring, millions of beautiful Monarch butterflies make their way from Mexico into the United States. Our scientists explain Science Showcase: we talk to BirdLife scientists about a recent paper they have been working on that has expanded our knowledge of birds and conservation. The monarch butterfly is one of the most easily recognized and frequently studied insects in the world, and has recently come into the spotlight of public attention and conservation concern because of declining numbers of individuals associated with both the eastern and western migrations. When a small animal like a butterfly affects you like that as a child, it is a humble reminder that we as a species still belong to the cycle that encompasses all living things. Climate change. There are a few different factors to consider: 1. A basic question concerning the monarch butterflies' fall migration is which monarchs succeed in reaching overwintering sites in Mexico, which fail—and why. From polar bears in the Arctic to marine turtles off the coast of Africa, our planet’s diversity of life is at risk from the changing climate. For each species, we also recommend climate-adaptive management strategies. Seasonal migration occurs in many animal systems and is likely to influence interactions between animals and their parasites. The monarch is the only butterfly known to make a two-way migration, similar to birds. The main motivation for this entire project comes down to this: the Monarch Butterfly population is declining at alarming rates. View other species in the series. Climate change is threat by disrupting the Monarch Butterfly migration patterns. However, scientists are concerned that the change in global weather patterns may change this migration pattern. Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) are ideal organisms for studying the effects of climate change. Why butterflies matter Why butterflies matter. Wildfires, droughts, floods. A new study finds that monarch wings are getting larger, possibly because climate change has forced the butterflies to travel longer distances as breeding grounds shift farther north. Here, we focus on monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) and a protozoan parasite (Ophryocystis elektroscirrha) to investigate how host migration affects … warmer, drier winters driving the change (Forister and Shapiro 2003). There is not a lot of space where they can thrive, they eat a lot of food all the time, food shortage can be a problem as well. Deforestation and harmful chemicals further compound climate induced stress on the Monarch …