Week 6 blog: Death of Monarch butterfly by weedkiller

Butterflies like bees are pollinators which are integral parts of our ecosystem. In this article, a report shows that a weedkiller,dicamba, used in genetically modified cotton and soybeans, would be sprayed in 60 million acres of land that are migratory habitats of the monarch butterflies and killing their only food source the milkweed. This reports hopes to stop the registration renewal of this weedkiller by the EPA as it's license ends this year.The monarch butterfly population have declined about 80%, and this weedkiller have spread to nearby agricultural fields killing crops which caused lawsuits in Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas and Missouri. What we saw with the bees is now happening to the monarch butterflies, herbicides and pesticides are not just harming our environment but also the native species. If the EPA proceeds with the registration renewal then we will see an extinction of the monarch butterflies. I hope the worst scenario doesn't happen. 


B. (2018, March 02). Controversial weedkiller could spell big trouble for monarch butterflies: Report. Retrieved March 03, 2018, from http://www.ehn.org/weedkiller-dicamba-monarch-butterfly-monsanto-2541418769.html

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 4, 2018 at 9:41 AM

    This is sad to read about. I remember in elementary school seeing all the monarch butterflies pollinate our garden at school. As third graders, we learned all about their life cycles from egg to adult butterflies. It makes me so sad to learn that they are dying in similar ways as the bees are. I wish the government would understand pesticides effect on the ecosystem and develop more regulations.

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  2. UnknownMarch 4, 2018 at 8:58 PM

    Hi Feng,

    This is such a relevant article for this week! It is so sad to see that monarch butterflies are declining in our society. Butterflies are not only beautiful and harmless, but so vital to our gardens. Pesticides are harming us, our society, and the animals that are roaming around us as well. This is so upsetting.

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