According to a new study described in Science News this week, the increasing temperatures in fall could be changing the way monarch butterflies prepare for their migration down to Mexico and disturbing their usual pause in reproduction that allows them to survive the long flight south. Warmer temperatures appear to be making the butterflies go into reproduction mode, which significantly shortens their lifespan and makes them less likely to have the energy to fly south over winter. You can read more about their unique life cycles and how the warmer temperatures are leading to their decline at https://www.sciencenews.org/article/warm-autumns-monarch-butterflies-decline.
