There is some hope this holiday season.
The orange-and-black striped butterfly that makes tall eucalyptus or Monterey cypress trees its home up and down the coast is an icon.
In November, more than 129,000 western monarch butterflies were counted by employees and volunteers of the Xerces Society.
In 1998 there were about 182,000 counted, according to the Xerces Society.
The numbers are giving some researchers hope that the western monarch butterfly population could be rebounded from devastatingly low numbers a few years ago that left some worried the insect was on the verge of extinction.
The latest counts are encouraging, according to Griffiths. I'm very pleased by it.
The monarch butterfly count in the county is high.
More than 300,000 insects were counted during the Xerces Society's annual Thanksgiving count. The 2000 total was the highest since then.
According to the Xerces Society, about 247,000 monarch butterflies were counted statewide.
When data was collected in 2020, just 2,000 butterflies were found in the state.
It's difficult to say why there are more monarch butterflies.
She said that 55 sites were surveyed in San Luis Obispo County this year, compared to 51 last year. The number of insects reported to the Xerces Society has risen every year.
According to the Xerces Society, the biggest groves in the county include the Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly grove along Highway 1, along Pecho Road in Los Osos, and the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve.
The Xerces Society's efforts are important in understanding how many monarch butterflies migrate to San Luis Obispo County and other coastal areas in California.
Accurate data is needed to target restoration efforts. Right now, I think we're seeing it work.
The monarch butterfly population is considered to be on the verge of collapse despite the recent rebound.
The International Union for Conservancy of Nature considers monarch butterflies to be in danger. Climate change and habitat destruction are two of the main contributors to the decline of the species.
Western monarch butterflies were counted in California. The Xerces Society and other groups petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to add monarchs to the federal list of threatened and at risk species.
The federal government is considering that petition.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife puts monarchs in danger. The insects can't be taken for scientific or propagation purposes without a permit.
The Xerces Society and other groups are trying to restore habitats and protect them from being destroyed.
People who live in inland areas at least five miles from the coast should plant milkweed plants to help feed the insects. Woolypod, California, heartleaf, narrowleaf and showy milkweed are native to California.
Plants that bloom in the fall, winter and spring should be planted by those living along the coast to help feed the butterflies while they're in the air.
According to the Xerces Society, monarchs like goldenrod, sunflowers, bluedicks, seaside fleabane, coyote brush, mulesfat, desertbroom, rabbitbrush and goldenbush.
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