Butterflies and Bees Affected by Climate Change
You may have heard the alarming news that bee populations are in decline. These and other beneficial pollinators are crucial to our survival as a species, but the impact of climate change on pollinators is becoming worrisome. It's not just bees - butterflies and climate change don't mix well either. Read on to learn more about bees and climate change, as well as its impact on other pollinators.
Effects of Climate Change on Pollinators
Climate change is a change in global (or regional) climate patterns that is directly related to increased levels of carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels. What is the effect on bees? Climate change affects pollinators in a variety of ways, but the main idea is that weather extremes create stressful conditions that affect feeding, habitat, and reproduction.
Most species have the ability to sensibly adapt to changing conditions, and bees and butterflies are no exception. However, when conditions change wildly from the norm, pollinators may fail to adapt and instead migrate or disappear to areas with more favorable conditions.
Even if a species has adapted or migrated to a more favorable area, climatic changes such as excessive rain or heat often affect the nectar and pollen production of plants that are both food source and habitat.
The Monarch Butterfly and Climate Change
Take the monarch butterfly, for example. Monarchs are major pollinators as well as food for many wildlife species, but over a twenty-year period the population has dropped by as much as 80 percent.
Monarch caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed, which has been adversely affected by deforestation, pesticide use, and climate change. The caterpillars not only feed on milkweed, the plant supports the monarch's entire life cycle.
Climate change has opened the door to the invasive species purple snail, a replica of milkweed. In the absence of milkweed, Monarchs accidentally lay their eggs on purple slack that cannot support their life cycle.
As if that wasn't bad enough, Sovereigns are temperature sensitive and rely on it to report their migration. If they migrate too early, the milkweed is not yet mature to support this pollinator's life cycle.
Finally, extreme weather will affect the Sovereign's milkweed habitat, leaving this pollinator no food, home, or place to lay eggs. While climate change is a vicious circle, you can help reduce your footprint by reducing or eliminating the use of pesticides and herbicides, planting a pollinator garden and eliminating or reducing the use of plastic, composting and recycling your waste.
