Butterflies declined by 22% in just 2 decades across the US – there are ways you can help save them

The endangered Karner blue butterfly has struggled with habitat loss. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

If the joy of seeing butterflies seems increasingly rare these days, it isn’t your imagination.

From 2000 to 2020, the number of butterflies fell by 22% across the continental United States. That’s 1 in 5 butterflies lost. The findings are from an analysis just published in the journal Science by the U.S. Geological Survey’s Powell Center Status of Butterflies of the United States Working Group, which I am involved in.