This time 15 years ago, our yard was filled with butterflies.
Boy did they lift the spirits.
You couldn't walk down the street without at least 2 Monarchs fluttering in your path.
This year, seeing one butterfly was such an event that I froze and watched it in the corner of my eye, until it flew away.
As we all know, that one reason the Monarch is dying out is their main comestible is being annihilated. Milkweed is being rooted up and sprayed out of existence by Dow, Monsanto and other agricultural giants. And the disappearance of Milkweed means the end of the Monarch.
According to NRDC, Dow Chemical has come out with a potent new herbicide that destroys Milkweed.
Here is a link to the NRDC petition asking Dow to keep this herbicide off the market.
https://secure.nrdconline.org/...
BTW If you have a yard, why not plant Milkweed and butterfly treats like Queen Anne's Lace? They're called "weeds" but they are lovely. If you buy seeds on-line, just make sure they are the real weed, and not hybrids.