Why are monarch butterflies endangered, threatened, or described as at risk? The short answer is that North American migratory monarchs have lost too much of the habitat they need across their life cycle. Caterpillars need milkweed. Adults need nectar plants. Migrating monarchs need safe stopover habitat. Wintering monarchs need protected forest groves in Mexico and … Read more
Animals that pollinate plants include bees, butterflies, moths, wasps, flies, beetles, hummingbirds, sunbirds, honeyeaters, nectar-feeding bats, some small mammals, and a few highly specialized insects such as fig wasps and yucca moths. Bees get the most attention because many species are especially good at collecting and moving pollen, but they are only one part of … Read more
How pollination works is simpler than it first sounds: pollen has to move from the pollen-producing part of a flower to the pollen-receiving part of a compatible flower. That transfer can happen by bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, birds, bats, wind, water, or even within the same flower in some plants. When the right pollen … Read more
Butterflies vs moths is one of the easiest insect comparisons to start with, but it is also one of the easiest to oversimplify. In general, butterflies are day-active insects with clubbed antennae and wings often held upright at rest, while many moths are night-active insects with feathery, threadlike, or saw-edged antennae and wings often held … Read more
Bees are important because they are among the most effective animals at moving pollen between flowers. That pollen movement helps many flowering plants make seeds, fruits, nuts, and the next generation of plants. Bees also support gardens, wild plant communities, farms, orchards, and the animals that depend on flowering plants for food and shelter. The … Read more
Pollinators are animals that help move pollen from one flower to another, making it possible for many flowering plants to form seeds, fruits, nuts, and the next generation of plants. Bees are the best-known pollinators, but they are only part of the story. Butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, hummingbirds, bats, and even a few other … Read more
Conservation controls invasive species by trying to stop new introductions first, then finding new populations early, responding quickly, and managing established populations with methods that fit the animal, habitat, law, and risk. The work can include inspections, public reporting, monitoring, barriers, targeted removal, habitat restoration, and long-term suppression. It is rarely as simple as “remove … Read more
Cane toads are large, toxic true toads that have become one of the best-known examples of an invasive animal. They are not dangerous because they chase or attack people. The problem is that their defensive toxins can poison predators and pets that try to bite, mouth, or eat them. In their native range, cane toads … Read more
Feral pigs and ecosystems are closely connected because wild pigs do not just pass through a landscape. They dig, wallow, eat many kinds of food, disturb soil, muddy water, damage crops, compete with native wildlife, and may carry diseases that matter to livestock, pets, wildlife, and people. In many parts of the United States, feral … Read more
Invasive carp are non-native freshwater fish that can spread through rivers and lakes and change how those ecosystems work. In North America, the phrase usually refers to four species: bighead carp, silver carp, grass carp, and black carp. They are often discussed together, but they are not the same fish and they do not cause … Read more
