Monarch Butterfly

U.S. officials decided to extend protections to monarch butterflies after warnings from environmentalists that populations are shrinking and the beloved pollinator may not survive climate change.

Monarch butterfly populations have plummeted due to habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change. In early December, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is going to decide whether the monarch should be listed under the Endangered Species Act. If that comes to pass, the migratory butterfly would be one of the most widespread species to receive this listing.

The monarch butterfly is widely recognized and widely dispersed across North America and it's in trouble. Federal officials decide soon whether it gets protection under the Endangered Species Act.

Regardless of how the butterflies fare this year, the long-term prospects for the migration seem to be dimming. Habitat loss, insecticide use and extreme weather all pose deadly threats to the species.

This Saturday the 9th Annual Monarch Butterfly & Pollinator Festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 1p.m. at Brackenridge Park. Over 30 educational partners will provide hands-on, nature-based experiences for children and adults to over an expected over 3,500 attendees. This is a free event and open to the public.

A drop in the population of monarchs in Mexico over the winter means you may see fewer of them flying back through Texas.

Brackenridge Park's Monarch Butterfly and Pollinator Festival celebrates one of nature's true wonders: it's migration.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature added the migrating monarch butterfly for to its "red list" of threatened species and categorized it as "endangered" — two steps from extinct.