Monarch butterflies saw a resurgence in Mexico

Photo by Sylvain CORDIER/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Monarch butterflies may be more difficult than we think. Mexico's commission for natural protected areas announced this week that the orange beauty made a comeback in the winter.

The butterflies fly thousands of miles south from Canada and the US to spend the winter in Mexico. There was a 35 percent rise in the monarch butterfly's presence in Mexican forests in December.

It is a show of resilience for a species whose numbers have dwindled to worrying lows over the past decade. The Center for Biological Diversity launched a lawsuit last year to urge the US to protect them from habitat destruction and climate change.

The butterflies drape themselves across the forest at times thick enough to change the color of the landscape from green to golden. To measure their spread, authorities take stock of the land they blanket. Their last tally was more than three times the size of the previous year's tally, with an increase of more than a third. They have been more plentiful in the past. They covered over 6 hectares of forest.

Photo by Sylvain CORDIER/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

The butterflies have lost their habitat in Mexico. milkweed is the only plant that monarchs eat. The majority of that is driven by urban and agricultural development. Climate change has caused fires, heatwaves, and droughts that have taken down the trees and plants they make home. They are very sensitive to extreme weather since the temperature tells them when to reproduce or migrate.

The butterfly's comeback in Mexico this past winter could be a sign that the butterflies are learning to adapt to more extreme weather caused by climate change. The butterflies left their perches in Mexico early last year. After arriving in Mexico in October or November, they usually start their journey north in March.

While this is a bright spot for the species, threats to the butterflies and their habitat haven't slowed down. AP reports that logging in their territory was up last year, but that was only mitigated because of fire, drought, and disease.

resilience is a big part of my beat as a climate reporter. I hear from communities on the frontlines of climate change that they shouldn't have to be so resilient in the first place. I have learned to celebrate the wins when they happen.