Food & Climate
Some 237 species of butterflies in Greece are being threatened with heat waves and deadly fires and floods affecting crops and their food. Why that is danger for human food?
The rising temperatures – shown during last October with the mercury hovering near 80 degrees daily – have made the winter too warm, creating shorter flowering periods and researchers seeing smaller butterflies, according a report seen by “Food & Climate” platform.
While we value butterflies for their beauty, they also play an important role in the ecosystem. Along with bees, birds and various other insects, they help flowering plants reproduce.
“Humans love flowers and butterflies because they are beautiful,” says Conservation Botanist Megan O’Connell. “But both plants and insects are performing a critical job.”
Birds and insects are critical pollinators; in fact, more than 80% of land plants are pollinated by animals such as butterflies. Pollen sticks to the bodies of pollinators when they feed on nectar, a sugary fluid produced by flowering plants to attract pollinators. Flowers benefit when they are visited by many pollinators, so they have evolved ways to attract birds and bees. The bright colors and showy petals of flowers serve as advertisements to pollinators promising rich nectar within.
Bees do most of the work of cross-pollination, but the contribution of birds and butterflies can’t be dismissed. In fact, scientists were recently surprised by how much butterflies contributed to the pollination of cotton fields in south Texas. In an article published in Science, researchers estimated butterflies contributed $120 million-worth of pollination to cotton farmers, according to “FWPG.org”.
Butterflies in Greece
Warmer temperatures are making life harder for butterflies in Greece, home to some 237 species. Food is scarcer, flowering periods are shorter, and experts now suspect the butterflies may be getting smaller.
“Climate change is impacting butterflies … that rely on temperature to perform essential activities such as mating, reproduction, growth, and feeding,” said Konstantinos Anagnostellis, an agronomist.
Anagnostellis is part of a team in a research project called MEIOSIS – the Greek word for shrinking – by the Greek University of Ioannina. It involves measuring the body weight of more 50,000 butterfly specimens over a century to model their decreasing body size in response to climate change.
Heat forces butterflies to fly to cooler places where there is less food. Worsening wildfires in Greece also reduce access to food because of the loss to grasslands, Anagnostellis said.
“If these plants are burned, there is a risk of direct mortality for the larvae, and we may not have adult butterflies to reproduce, forcing them to migrate to other areas.”
The problem is echoed globally, including in Mexico and Britain where numbers of some species have declined sharply, according to “Reuters“.
How can we protect butterflies?
Butterflies are one of the most common and popular visible insects at Toronto and Region Conservation Authority’s (TRCA) Tommy Thompson Park (TTP) in Canada, a picturesque urban wilderness spanning over 500 hectares along the shores of Lake Ontario. TTP is one of the largest existing natural habitats on the Toronto waterfront, serving as an important roosting site for pollinators with over 55 butterfly and moth species recorded to date!
So, how can you contribute to the health and conservation of these delicate creatures?
Authority’s (TRCA) introduces some tips for designing your butterfly-boosting garden:
Choose native plant species that are well-adapted to the local climate and provide nectar, pollen, and refuge sources for butterflies and other pollinators year-round. Butterflies seek out two distinct types of plants: nectar-producing plants for adult butterflies to feed on, and caterpillar food/host plants to lay their eggs on.
Select plants with diverse blooming seasons throughout the year to ensure a continuous food source for butterflies.
Create shallow water features such as birdbaths or small ponds to provide butterflies with water sources for drinking and puddling.
And a plan by “Whole Foods Markets” to protect bees, butterflies and other native pollinators from harmful pesticides is essential for reducing the organic grocer’s carbon footprint, according to its sustainability chief, Caitlin Liberty.
The policy, which takes effect in 2025 across Whole Foods’ more than 530 stores, requires floral and produce growers to phase out neonicotinoids and embrace “integrated pest management” strategies such as planting wildflowers alongside crops or introducing beneficial insects such as ladybugs, soldier beetles or praying mantises to fields.
Minimize or eliminate the use of pesticides, as they can be harmful to butterflies and other beneficial insects.
Incorporate elements like rocks, fallen logs, and tall grasses to provide resting spots and sheltered areas for butterflies.
By planting pollinator-friendly gardens and adopting practices that support these delicate creatures, we can all play a vital role in safeguarding their future and ensuring the health and balance of our ecosystems, according to “Trellis”.