The Region - News from Jan. 28, 1987

The number of monarch butterflies counted along the California coast is down 60% from last year, reflecting a cyclical decline, biologists said in Santa Barbara. The butterflies return south annually from California’s Central Valley and from as far away as Nevada and Idaho to escape freezing temperatures. Between September, 1985, and March, 1986, they numbered 3.5 million, but this season there were only 1.5 million, said Chris Nagano, a staff biologist for the Monarch Project, a private conservation group. Santa Barbara County, which is along the migration path, saw a less dramatic drop from an estimated 480,000 monarchs in 1985-86 to 340,000 this season, Nagano said. Biologists say the population decrease among monarchs is a normal response to rising numbers of predators and parasites, such as birds, mice and hornets. Nagano said subsequent data may indicate whether the insect is experiencing a long-term decline.