Decline of butterflies could be a warning that the environment is struggling

Several subspecies of butterflies are declining in numbers, and some have disappeared completely, which has environmentalists worried, Darryl Fears reports for The Washington Post. Robert K. Robbins, a research entomologist at the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History, said that if butterfly species are going extinct, "It’s a strong indicator that we’re messing up the environment around us," and when an entire line dies off, "It’s a report card on the health of the environment around us." (University of Florida photo by Dr. Thomas C. Emmel: The endangered male Schaus swallowtail)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently announced that two species -- the rockland grass skipper and the Zestos skipper -- are probably extinct in South Florida, Fears reports. At least one species has vanished from the U.S., another 17 species and subspecies are listed as endangered nationwide, and two are listed as threatened.

"The same issues plaguing butterflies are also causing populations of frogs, salamanders and toads to plummet, along with bees and other insects," Fears reports. "A recent U.S. Geological Survey study estimated that seven species of amphibians will drop by 50 percent if the current rate of decline, fueled by pesticide use and loss of habitat, continues. Eighty percent of food crops are pollinated by insects such as bees, moths and butterflies." (Read more)