Monarchs Go Missing During Kiwi Summer
New Zealanders are wondering where the country’s iconic monarch butterflies have gone this southern summer. They failed to return in some areas after a cold and tough winter dampened their breeding grounds on the South Island.
While related to their North American cousins, New Zealand monarchs don’t migrate vast distances.
They instead adapt to local conditions, often wintering along the coast where temperatures seldom fall below 50 degrees.
Experts say climate change may be what has affected the monarchs recently.
"Monarchs are an indicator species, telling us a lot about how other insects are going, and this is something to watch closely as we need our insects,” said an expert.
Experts say the colorful insects are likely to rebound in the years to come as colonies recover from last winter's adverse conditions.
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