TDOT launches effort to save monarch butterflies
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A monarch butterfly on a milkweed plant. Photo: Creative Touch Imaging Ltd./NurPhoto via Getty Images
Tennessee is working to restore habitats and food sources for the vulnerable monarch butterflies that migrate through the state on their way to and from Mexico.
What's happening: The Tennessee Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that residents could request free packs of milkweed seeds online through the Project Milkweed program. Seeds will be distributed this fall.
- The announcement coincides with National Pollinator Week.
Why it matters: Milkweed is an essential part of life for monarch butterflies, who use the plant as food and shelter. However, the number of milkweed plants has plummeted over the last few decades, imperiling the beautiful butterfly species.
- Monarchs were categorized as endangered last year by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Axios' Laurin-Whitney Gottbrath reported.
- The group encouraged planting more milkweed in an effort to save the species.
By the numbers: TDOT estimated that monarchs and milkweed habitats had declined about 90% since 1992.
- Climate change, deforestation and pesticide use are driving that decline, per the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Zoom out: The milkweed distribution is part of TDOT's Pollinator Habitat Program. Pollinators contribute billions of dollars to the U.S. economy by pollinating food crops.
What they're saying: "Pollinators are vital to life, growing food, and the economy of Tennessee," TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley said in a statement.
- "This effort is an excellent way to educate the public about their critical importance and the threats they face and expand pollinator-friendly practices from TDOT-owned rights-of-way to neighborhood backyards."
Go deeper: The Nashville Zoo is hosting a series of educational events related to National Pollinator Week from 10am-2pm Saturday.
- Attendees can learn more about the monarch's migratory patterns, talk to beekeepers and learn how to attract hummingbirds to their backyards.