Santa Barbara Asked to Count Monarch Butterflies

Orange wings are on the move around Santa Barbara.

The public is asked to keep watch for these wings to help track the area’s most royal of insects: monarch butterflies. Data collected by the region’s amateur entomologists will help scientists understand where these disappearing butterflies are at different times of year and inform the upcoming 29th annual Western Monarch Count.

“Millions of western monarchs used to return to coastal California every year, but the population has plummeted in recent decades,” due to climate change, habitat loss, pesticides, and disease, according to the California State Parks Foundation. 

People can help count by downloading the iNaturalist app, snapping a photo of the butterfly, and uploading their observations. 

The 28th annual Western Monarch Count found a peak population of 9,119 monarchs, the second-lowest overwintering population ever recorded since tracking began in 1997. A Species Status Assessment predicts a greater than 95 percent chance of extinction for western monarchs by 2080.

At Santa Barbara County’s butterfly sanctuary, the Goleta Monarch Butterfly Grove at Ellwood Mesa, the fluttering orange and black insects usually blanket the landscape and dominate the airspace during peak winter activity. However, at times last winter, there were only three total monarchs observed across the park.

“I remember going down there [Ellwood Mesa] and seeing thousands of them in the past,” said Randy Widera, Director of Programs for California State Parks Foundation. 

“We have many groves in state parks where we haven’t seen monarchs in years. The population has already dropped so precipitously,” he continued. “It’s always inspiring to see the monarchs, but just to think about them being gone from these places that we’re used to seeing them come back every year just feels like nature has stopped.”

Because of these significant declines, in December 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (F&W) proposed to list the monarch butterfly as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. It’s been an effort 10 years in the making for activists, Widera said. After two public comment periods, which ended in May this year, F&W is deciding on the final ruling, which is expected to come out before the end of the year.

Widera said the State Parks Foundation is paying close attention to the current administration, which is threatening to end protections under the Endangered Species Act, as well as stalling projects and firing staff within the Environmental Protection Agency. He said that as of now, it does not seem like the monarch’s listing is at risk, however. 

Insects’ population numbers can be difficult to track, especially with butterflies, since people also raise and release them. But during their overwintering period, when the butterflies migrate to groves in California in search of warmer temperatures, it’s easier to get an accurate sense of the population. And the sharp decline in monarch butterflies becomes apparent.

“People do raise them — but that phenomenon, that cycle of nature, those butterflies en masse, could go away. That’s pretty bleak,” Widera said. “That’s part of why it’s important for people to track, observe, and recognize these species and get an idea of the overall population. We have a new model of citizen scientists helping these observations.”

The official early count begins in October, when monarchs typically begin returning to their wintering homes. Scientists are collecting initial numbers to get a sense of the migrating population. Beware of lookalikes: There are other orange butterflies and moths native to Santa Barbara County.

Elwood Mesa is also looking for community volunteers to plant trees and restore monarch habitat — one of the most important overwintering sites for Western monarchs. Volunteer opportunities are available on Saturdays through December. 

“With butterfly populations declining due to drought and extreme weather, this project will plant hundreds of trees and thousands of native plants to create the shelter monarchs need to survive,” the City of Goleta said in a press release. 

Sign up to volunteer here.