After reaching a historic low, the population of monarch butterflies overwintering in California has increased a hundredfold, according to the annual Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count. More than 247,000 butterflies were counted in 2021, up from 2,000 butterflies in 2020.
“We’re ecstatic with the results and hope this trend continues,” said Emma Pelton, the western monarch lead with Xerces Society, the organization that manages the annual count.
Each year, volunteers and scientists count the orange-winged wonders in their overwintering locations, 283 sites this year. The highest number of monarchs (95,000) was reported from Santa Barbara County, including a single site on private property with 25,000 butterflies. Very few butterflies were seen in the San Francisco Bay area, with only 600 counted at overwintering sites from Mendocino to San Mateo counties.
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