Migrating Monarch butterflies on Eucalyptus tree in Big Sur, California; Los Padres National Forest

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The annual migration of the Monarch butterflies is a sight to behold. Unfortunately, in the less than 10 years since I made this photo, their numbers have plummeted. The main cause is loss of habitat (particularly milkweed the caterpillar phase depends on for food) and pesticides. Monarchs are threatened with extinction but will not receive federal protection because other species have higher priority.

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Size: 2505px × 3758px
Location: Big Sur, California
Photo credit: © Patrick Stoll / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

Keywords: 1, andrew, big, butterflies, disappearing, eucalyptus, forest, habitat, highway, insects, los, loss, migration, migratory, milkweed, molera, monarch, monarchs, national, padres, park, pesticides, river, state, sur, trees