Monarch Butterfly numbers have declined sharply

[Catherine]

There have been problems with declining Monarch numbers for years. People have tried to help by planting milkweed and pollinator friendly plants. 
In spite of all our efforts, this year the butterfly population is down be more than 50%. 
There are so many reasons why. Pesticides and habitat loss are the most obvious. Loss of wintering grounds is one of the biggest problems. They winter in such a small area. Those butterflies need to survive if there are going to be butterflies to make the journey north.


https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/c...-1.5696632


I can remember seeing dozens of butterflies at once when I was a child.  I can remember seeing  as many as 6 butterflies in my garden at once. Then there were 2 or 3. This year I have seen about six butterflies all summer. I saw one on my street this weekend, but it wasn't in my garden.

Many species are in decline like this. I think the monarchs symbolize for us, all our declining migratory species. We can't help them all, but we can help the Monarchs. Sadly the help doesn't seem to be enough.  Maybe some year I will see no monarch butterflies. If they fail to return one year, does tha mean they will never come back?