It is a truly disturbing situation for the monarchs. I don’t think anyone can say for sure but their numbers are plummeting. Some of the leading factors that experts are pointing to are: 1) continued loss of habitat on their winter grounds in Mexico 2) Severe drought over hundreds of miles of their migration route in the U.S. and Mexico 3) Loss of their larval (caterpillar) host plants to “modern” agriculture practices. This include the loss of thousands of acres of CRP land that is being now planted in corn for ethanol production. Read Mary’s article on page 2 for info on how you can help.