--- description: Due to habitat destruction from agriculture. title: Monarch Butterflies May Land on 2015 Endangered Species List image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcda7a45df607dd85/698777aa5f570f160ab1479f/monarch-butterfly-endangered.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Science](/section/science/) ## Science Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [animals](/tag/animals/) ## animals Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Monarch Butterflies May Land on 2015 Endangered Species List  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 30, 2014 8:26 PM CUT  A Monarch butterfly is in a flower in Los Angeles, Calif. on Oct. 28, 2010. A Monarch butterfly is in a flower in Los Angeles, Calif. on Oct. 28, 2010.Gabriel Bouys—AFP/Getty Images  by [Jack Linshi](/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 30, 2014 8:26 PM CUT Monarch butterflies, once common sights across North America, have disappeared so quickly they might become an endangered species in the next year. Habitat loss due to agriculture has caused the insect’s population to fall 90% in 20 years, prompting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to consider protecting monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act, _Reuters_ reported Monday. Farming practices including as widespread pesticide use and herbicides have destroyed milkweed plants, on which the butterflies lay eggs and hatch larvae. The review of the butterflies’ status came after conservationist groups filed to the Fish and Wildlife Service requesting federal protection for the butterflies. The agency said the conservationists’ claim “presents substantial information indicating that listing may be warranted,” and that the agency will need about one year to complete the review. \[[_Reuters_](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/30/us-usa-butterflies-idUSKBN0K800Y20141230 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3650199/monarch-butterflies/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3650199/monarch-butterflies/"},"headline":"Monarch Butterflies May Land on 2015 Endangered Species List","datePublished":"2014-12-30T20:26:47.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T03:11:57.156Z","description":"Due to habitat destruction from agriculture","url":"https://time.com/3650199/monarch-butterflies/","keywords":["animals"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcda7a45df607dd85/698777aa5f570f160ab1479f/monarch-butterfly-endangered.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jack Linshi","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcda7a45df607dd85/698777aa5f570f160ab1479f/monarch-butterfly-endangered.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Monarch Butterfly Endangered","caption":"Monarch Butterfly Endangered","creditText":"Gabriel Bouys—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/animals/","name":"animals"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3650199/monarch-butterflies/","name":"Monarch Butterflies May Land on 2015 Endangered Species List"}}]}] ```