Evidence is accumulating that butterflies across the country are dramatically shrinking in numbers, and, unless a solution is found, could go extinct. This trend is concerning because the loss of these insects would disrupt ecosystems (areas of space containing both living and nonliving organisms that interact with one another) and hamper pollination that many plants require to reproduce.
It has been estimated that the total number of butterflies in the contiguous United States has declined 22% during a 20-year period. Why? Scientists blame a shrinking habitat, rising temperatures, and harmful pesticides.
And it’s not just butterflies. The numbers of bumblebees, fireflies, and other insects have been observed to be shrinking in Europe, the Caribbean and other places around the world. Scientists are debating if we are headed for a “bugpocalypse” that could spell big trouble for nature and society.
Birds and mammals rely on insects for food. Plants need insects for pollination and natural pest control. U. of Connecticut entomologist, David Wagner, said butterflies are a sort of “yardstick for measuring what is happening” among insects broadly. He called the new findings “catastrophic and saddening.” “The tree of life is being denuded at unprecedented rates. I find it deeply disheartening. We can and must do better.”
The research was based on more than 12 million butterfly observations taken across the contiguous U. S. from 2000 to 2020. The observations were both formal and informal and were conducted by both professionals and amateur nature enthusiasts.
Biologist Jeffrey Glassberg, who has been surveying in Westchester County, New York, for more than four decades, has witnessed about 10 species of butterflies vanish. Among them is a ghostly white butterfly called Acadian hairstreak, but it may have migrated north out of the area. To stem the tide, Glassberg hopes to inspire more people to become “butterfly lovers.”
Butterfly populations shrank a total of more than a fifth between 2000 and 2020. A third of the species showed significant declines, and only 3 percent or nine species experienced gains. Among the butterflies in steepest decline in the United States are the Florida white butterfly, the Hermes copper butterfly in Southern California and the tailed orange butterfly near the U.S. Mexico border. More than 100 species have declined over 50%.
In excess of 30 butterfly species are protected under the Endangered Species Act with the latest added to the list being the beloved monarch. Butterflies do have an advantage over mammals and birds in that they can breed quickly–if people give them a chance by restoring meadows and minimizing pesticide use.
Comments: The scientists mentioned three factors that appear to be threatening the continued existence of some butterfly species. A shrinking habitat, rising temperatures, and harmful pesticides are being blamed for this situation. Because butterflies are God’s gift to our world, not only as an aid to helping plants survive but also a means of adding beauty to our world, we ought to do what we can to help them from going extinct.
There is one other factor that could be threatening the existence of butterflies that the scientists didn’t mention – a tendency in nature called genetic entropy. Secular scientists don’t seem to want to consider genetic entropy as a fact, probably because it contradicts the theory of evolution.
However, it is easy to see that the world is running down as the years go by. This includes what is happening in our genes and in the genes of all living organisms. Mutations are always occurring, and mutations are rarely helpful, contrary to the beliefs of evolutionists who still believe mutations are useful for improving species via natural selection.
But mutations are slowly weakening species and, in some cases, making it more difficult for them to produce descendants. Berkeley says, “Some mutations harm an organism’s ability to survive and reproduce.” Therefore, it seems logical to consider genetic entropy as being a possible cause for some extinctions and a threat to those butterfly species now considered endangered.
Because the world is running down, as evidenced by all the extinctions, we ought to prepare for the end of life on earth as if it will happen during our lifetime. Even if the world will survive thousands of years longer, we as individuals on earth won’t. That is why it is great to be a Christian. When we have found faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior, our life will continue after death, eternal life in a heavenly home. “Extinction” will not be a word we will use in heaven.
“But our citizenship is in heaven. We are eagerly waiting for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. By the power that enables him to subject all things to himself, he will transform our humble bodies to be like his glorious body.” Philippians 3:20-21.
by Warren Krug
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QUESTION OF THE DAY
How can regular physical activity help improve one’s memory?
Exercise such as walking, dancing, and balance exercises can slow declines in thinking and memory. It does this by boosting the flow of blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the brain and by controlling brain-aging factors such as diabetes and high blood pressure. It may also nurture the growth of brain cells and communication between them.
Source: “On Your Mind,” Consumer Reports [October, 2024], page 12.
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