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Endangered Species

Endangered Species

Morrison bumble bee visiting showy milkweed flowers
Xerces Society Files ESA Petition to Protect Morrison Bumble Bee
16. November 2023
American burying beetle in soil
This Beetle Buries the Dead
26. October 2023
Fireflies flashing in the Nevada night
Secrets of the Nevada Nighttime (No, It’s Not Aliens)
19. October 2023
Large marble butterfly on flower
The Xerces Society has Submitted a Petition for the Listing of the Large Marble Butterfly Under the Federal Endangered Species Act
3. October 2023
male coastal greenish blue butterfly
Searching for Rare Butterflies on the Oregon and California Coasts
20. July 2023
Monarch caterpillar on narrowleaf milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis). (Photo: Xerces Society / Stephanie McKnight)
Keep Monarchs Wild: Why Captive Rearing Isn’t the Way to Help Monarchs
15. June 2023
The Illuminating Science Behind Fireflies
7. June 2023
Widow skimmer, photographed by Bryan E. Reynolds
Ambassadors for a Watery World
11. May 2023
Moon-marked skipper butterfly on a flower
Without State-Level Protection, These Invertebrates Face an Uncertain Future
20. April 2023
Golden-belted bumble bee
Insects Are Wildlife, Too
18. April 2023
Insects Need More Protection
10. April 2023
Yellow/green flashes at dusk from Southwest spring fireflies near grazing cattle
ESA Petition Filed to Protect Southern Arizona’s Southwest Spring Firefly
30. March 2023
Florida intertidal firefly larva crawling on some rocks
ESA Petition filed to protect the Florida intertidal firefly (Micronaspis floridana)
28. March 2023
Loopy five firefly flash pattern, with 2 semi-circular flashes and 3 short blips forming a circle
ESA Petition Filed to Protect the Loopy Five Firefly, a Southeastern Lightning Bug
21. March 2023
Fireflies flashing at night
ESA Petition Filed to Protect the Mysterious Lantern Firefly (Photuris mysticalampas) on the Delmarva Peninsula of Delaware and Maryland
14. March 2023
A participant uses their iphone camera to photograph a firefly in a petri dish
New Firefly Atlas Will Put Beloved Beetles on the Map
7. March 2023
Are Butterflies Wildlife? Depends Where You Live.
6. March 2023
Monarchs cluster together on a branch
Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count Tallies Over 330,000 Butterflies Before Storms Batter Overwintering Sites
31. January 2023
Clusters of overwintering monarchs on a tree branch
The Current Status of Western Monarch Butterflies, By the Numbers
31. January 2023
A hesperian snail from a site near Grizzly Creek
Notes From the Field: Putting Snails on the (Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument) Map
27. October 2022
A Xerces conservation biologist hikes down from a small glacier that is now mostly just a snowfield. A chain of meltwater lakes can be seen in the distance, with smoke from nearby wildfires on the horizon.
In Search of the Elusive Northern Forestfly
4. August 2022
Attendees of the Monarch Butterfly Summit at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, DC. (Photo: Scott Black/ Xerces Society)
D.C. Monarch Summit Secures Funding for Monarch Conservation
7. July 2022
Fireflies at dusk outside a lit house. (Photo: Jerry Lai, Flickr.com.)
World Firefly Day: Keeping Fireflies in the Neighborhood
29. June 2022
Emily Spindler samples pollinators in New Mexico (Photo: Aimee Code, Xerces Society)
Protecting New Mexico's Very Hungry Caterpillars
23. June 2022
West coast lady, Vanessa annabella. Photo: Chris Halsch, University of Nevada-Reno
Grassroots Conservation is the Key to Saving Imperiled Western Butterflies
22. June 2022
Synchronous fireflies line a path through Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Photo: Radim Schreiber, fireflyexperience.org)
Sparking a Sustainable Firefly Tourism Movement
13. April 2022
Western monarchs overwintering in California 2021-2022 (Photo: Jessica Griffiths)
New Year’s Count of Western Monarchs Tracks Population Decline During Overwintering Season
2. March 2022
Bicellonycha wickershamorum AZ. Photo: Scott Cylwik
New Report: State of the Fireflies of the US and Canada
2. February 2022
An underwater photo showing the bottom of a river and above it in the hazy water small brown fish. The river bottom is made of dark, rounded rocks, some large, some small, surrounded by pale brown sand. In the sand can be seen dozens of freshwater mussels. The mussels are oval shaped and very dark, almost black. The two halves of their shells are slightly open, showing the paler, soft flesh of the animal.
The Merit of Mussels
14. October 2021
leaf litter, overwinter, bumble bee life cycle, science, conservation
Where do Bumble Bee Queens Overwinter? Participate in Queen Quest This Fall to Help Us Find Out!
12. October 2021
yellow, flower, dandelion, community science, Bumble Bee Watch
A Q&A with Daniel Potvin-Leduc, a Bumble Bee Watch Star from Quebec
12. October 2021
A photo of a desert landscape. In the background, brown hills dotted with green shrbs rise toward the blue sky. In the foreground, flowers are in bloom. A row of low shrubs coverd in white flowers stretches away from the viewer toward a clump of short trees.
Climate News: Nature-Based Climate Solutions Address Climate Change and Support Pollinators
25. August 2021
A close up of a firefly. The firefly is mostly black, with some red patches behind its head and pale brown edges to its shell. It is standing on a narrow green leaf as it flashes its green light.
World Firefly Day: Watch Us, Don’t Catch Us!
26. June 2021
Wildflowers grow beside a quite rural road. The most abundant plant has small gray-green leaves that grow on horizontal branches and a clyster of long, narrow spikes of dark purple flowers at the top of the stem
Pollinators Find a Home on Roadsides
25. June 2021
In daylight, most fireflies don't look so magical. This big dipper firefly is mostly black, with pale brown margins to it's body and a red patch on the top of it's thorax.
Shedding Light on Firefly Natural History and Distributions through Community Science
4. May 2021
A small brown and white butterfly rests with it's wings open on a brightly colored red and yellow flower
Announcing the 2021 DeWind Award Winners
8. April 2021
A female glow-worm is a rather bizarre-looking animal, with a large, bright pink segmented body.
Latest Update to the IUCN Red List Includes First Global Assessments for Fireflies, with a Spotlight on North America
25. March 2021
Two orange-and-black monarch butterflies drink nectar on yellow-and-red colored flowers. The flowers are tropical milkweed, a non-native plant that should not be grown to help monarchs.
Resident Monarch Populations on the Rise in California: What Does this Mean for the Western Migratory Population?
1. March 2021
Graph showing results from surveys of overwintering monarchs in California. The number of monarchs has fallen for several years, so the height of the bars gets shorter and shorter to the right of the graph
Fifth Annual Western Monarch New Year’s Count Confirms Continued Decline in Western Monarch Population
1. March 2021
Orange-and-black monarch butterflies cling to the green branches of tress and fly in the blue sky
Monarch Numbers from Mexico Point to Declining Population
26. February 2021
A yellow and black bumble bee drinks nectar from pale pink flowers of milkweed
California Court Case: Protection of Insects under the California Endangered Species Act
8. February 2021
"Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count Data 1997-2020 shows that despite a strong volunteer effort, monarch numbers are at the lowest point recorded since the count started in 1997"
Western Monarch Population Closer to Extinction as the Wait Continues for Monarchs’ Protection Under the Endangered Species Act
19. January 2021
Three young men use shovels to help plant a new tree in the middle of a grove
Planning and Planting for the Future of Monarchs in California
2. December 2020
A handful of monarch butterflies with wings closed rest on the long gray-green leaves of eucalyptus
Monarch Population in California Spirals to Another Record Low
30. November 2020
A yellow and black bumble bee drinks nectar from pale pink flowers of milkweed
Court Decision Undermines the State of California’s Ability to Protect Insects Under its Endangered Species Act
20. November 2020
A black and yellow bumble bee on a bright pink flower
It Takes (More Than) a Village
14. October 2020
The green grass of this Texas prairie is dotted with blue lupines, red paintbrush, and creamy colored yucca
The green grass of this Texas prairie is dotted with blue lupines, red paintbrush, and creamy colored yucca
Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change On Grassland Butterflies
30. September 2020
Although partially obscured by the wings, the distinctive rusty-colored patch is just visible on the yellow band on the back of this rusty patched bumble bee
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Fails to Designate Critical Habitat for the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee
1. September 2020
A freshwater mussel tucked between rocks. The mussel is slightly open, showing the mass of fingerlike projections that cover the hole where it sucks in river water.
Working from the (river) bottom up to conserve the western ridged mussel
17. August 2020
Fire truck drives across a burning landscape, with the sky full of brown smoke
Australia’s Green Carpenter Bee on the Brink
17. July 2020
Amid a mountainous, meadow-strewn landscape, three people holding butterfly nets walk along a narrow, dirt trail.
Tracking Butterfly Populations through Community Science
22. April 2020
Two women, one with dark hair and a hat, and one with bright red hair, look at a white insect net while standing in a grassy field.
Nebraska Bumble Bee Atlas: Doing a Little to Impact the Whole
22. April 2020
A small house with light paint and bright blue trim is dwarfed by the lush garden in the foreground, featuring flowers of a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors.
12 Climate Actions for Earth Week
18. April 2020
A person wearing fluorescent clothing and a headlamp swings a net alongside a roadway lit by streetlamps at night.
Announcing the 2020 DeWind Awardees
31. March 2020
Monarchs stand close together on muddy ground on the edge of a puddle.
Monarchs stand close together on muddy ground on the edge of a puddle.
Monarchs Overwintering in Mexico Down 53%
13. March 2020
An illustrated landscape showing changing seasons (for instance, a tree that is half bare and half covered in bright pink blooms) shows bumble bees in various stages of their life cycle, including underground nests, foraging, and larvae.
Five Ways to Support Queen Bumble Bees this Spring
13. March 2020
A monarch with large pieces missing from both wings perches on an evergreen branch.
New Year’s Count Finds Continued Decline of Monarchs Overwintering in California
4. March 2020
A long line of people of diverse ages, genders, and races are all sporting bright yellow and black-striped bee outfits in an outdoor festival setting.
Evolution in Attitudes Leads to Greater Interest in Pollinator Conservation
24. February 2020
In this hand-drawn/hand-painted image, a grove of trees is shown, with a cut stump and a dead monarch with tattered wings in the foreground.
The Vanishing Butterfly Groves of California
27. January 2020
A monarch clings to the trunk of a tree in a dimly-lit landscape.
Thanksgiving Count Shows Western Monarchs Need Our Help More than Ever
23. January 2020
A line of colorful, flowering plants, including a bush with red blossoms in the foreground, recedes into the distance. Parallel to this line are rows of trees in an orchard.
Climate News Roundup: IPCC Lands Report
8. January 2020
A teal-colored house is seemingly dwarfed by a profusion of plants growing around it, including purple and yellow blooms.
Insect Apocalypse? What Is Really Happening; Why it Matters; and How We All Can Help
27. December 2019
In this close-up photo, a monarch perches atop a cluster of small, white and pink flowers. The image is so detailed, you can see the eye of the monarch, and the scales on its wings.
Monarch and Pollinator Habitat Kits Designed to Support Imperiled Western Monarchs
10. December 2019
A woman smiles while looking at a fuzzy, black, and yellow bumble bee on her finger.
Ann Puddicombe, a Bumble Bee Watch Star
20. November 2019
A fuzzy, yellow and black striped bee perches atop a cluster of bright yellow flowers.
Still Questing for Bee Nests
18. November 2019
A monarch butterfly perches atop a stalk of purple flowers with thread-like petals sticking out in various directions.
DeWind Alumnae Publish Three New Research Papers about Monarch Butterflies
6. November 2019
Meandering yellow-green streaks weave through a darkening forest with a thick understory of ferns, in this long-exposure shot of fireflies.
Conserving the Jewels of the Night
31. October 2019
How You Can Help
30. October 2019
Firefly Species at Risk
30. October 2019
About Fireflies
30. October 2019
With wings spread, a monarch butterfly basks on a milkweed plant among the stems of a tulle marsh.
Western Monarchs: Notes from the Field
21. October 2019
Western Freshwater Mussel Database Contributors
14. October 2019
Western Freshwater Mussel Database
14. October 2019
Published Works of DeWind Awardees
5. October 2019
What We're Doing to Conserve Endangered Species
1. October 2019
Rugged mountains and pine trees, some reddish brown and some green, are shown in this Colorado landscape.
Pollinator Conservation Program Digest – September 2019
25. September 2019
Other At-Risk Invertebrates
16. September 2019
At-Risk Aquatic Invertebrates
16. September 2019
At-Risk Butterflies & Moths
16. September 2019
At-Risk Bees
16. September 2019
At-Risk Bumble Bees
16. September 2019
A high country bumble bee (Bombus kirbiellus) looks directly at the camera, wings blurred, as it perches atop the red petals of a paintbrush blossom.
A high country bumble bee flies to a red paintbrush blossom.
The Source of Hope and Wonder Comes in Small Packages
10. September 2019
Both Dewind awardees are shown in this composite image.
Announcing the 2019 DeWind Awardees
3. April 2019
A woman walking across a field with a nose working dog, looking for bumble bee nests.
A woman walking across a field with a nose working dog, looking for bumble bee nests.
A Quest for Bumble Bee Nests: The Missing Link
26. March 2019
National Championship winner of Baller Beneficials, the zebra jumpers.
Baller Beneficials! The 2019 Xerces Society Division 1 Beneficial Insect Championship
21. March 2019
Monarch butterfly flying above milkweed.
Community Scientists Can Help Support Imperiled Western Monarchs
12. March 2019
A group of scientists taking a photo together, including Emma Pelton, our monarch specialist.
Photo Essay: Trinational Monarch Meeting and Exploring Mexico’s Monarch Overwintering Sites
7. March 2019
Landscaping outside an office building includes purple coneflower and goldenrod.
Mitigating the Effects of Heat on Urban Pollinators
6. March 2019
A western monarch rests on the side of a tree with furrowed bark.
New Year’s Count of Western Monarchs Confirms Decline, Trends Seen in Previous Years
5. February 2019
A monarch clings to the trunk of a tree in a dimly-lit landscape.
Record Low Number of Overwintering Monarch Butterflies in California—They Need Your Help!
17. January 2019
Long-horned bee collecting pollen from a bright yellow and red plains coreopsis.
Pollinators and the 2018 Farm Bill
10. January 2019
Brightly colored pollinator plants burst from a vibrant hedgerow running alongside an orchard.
Climate News Round-Up: January 2019
3. January 2019
Red coreopsis flowers stand out against a blue sky.
Businesses Aligning with the Life that Sustains Us
20. December 2018
Close up view of freshwater mussels filtering water.
Are Freshwater Mussels in Hot Water?
13. December 2018
A monarch, with its wings folded, showing the duller orange side, clings to a rough tree trunk in a dimly-lit landscape.
Early Thanksgiving Counts Show a Critically Low Monarch Population in California
29. November 2018
A bright orange monarch with a torn wing perches on some pink milkweed blossoms in a grassy, dry landscape.
Western Monarch Numbers Expected to Be Low this Year
15. November 2018
Purple asters bloom against a green background.
Fall Garden Tips to Benefit Bumble Bees All Year
30. October 2018
A bumble bee perches on a yellow flower.
The Xerces Society Seeks Endangered Species Protections for California Bumble Bees
16. October 2018
A glowing green mason jar contains a few fireflies.
Keeping the Lights Burning: The Status of Fireflies in the United States and Canada
1. October 2018
A bumble bee sits atop a conical spire of small white flowers.
The Endangered Species Act Needs Your Help!
29. August 2018
The author stands in a field holding a net while talking during a demonstration.
Kicking Off Canadian Bumble Bee Watch Training Events!
26. July 2018
DeWind Award Frequently Asked Questions
11. July 2018
Freshwater Mussels: Threats and Conservation Efforts
9. July 2018
About Freshwater Mussels
9. July 2018
About Bumble Bees
6. July 2018
Cluster of western monarchs overwintering in California
Managing Monarch Habitat in the West
5. July 2018
Monarchs cluster on pine branches, which are backed by blue sky. The butterflies with folded wings are more drab in color, appearing to be dead leaves at first glance. The butterflies with their wings spread display a vibrant orange hue.
Western Monarch Overwintering Site Management
4. July 2018
Managing Roadsides and Rights-of-Way for Monarchs
4. July 2018
Managing Working Lands for Monarchs
4. July 2018
Managing Natural Lands for Monarchs
4. July 2018
Eastern Monarch Conservation
4. July 2018
Western Monarch Conservation
4. July 2018
Monarchs in Decline
4. July 2018
Endangered Beetles
3. July 2018
Endangered Species Conservation
3. July 2018
milkweed
Native Milkweeds
21. June 2018
A monarch nectars on multiple, purple, fluffy flowers growing on a stalk.
Monarch Nectar Plant Guides
18. June 2018
A solitary bee perched on top of a capped tunnel nest
Nesting Resources
14. June 2018
wallingford sand plains
Connecticut’s Sand Plains Need Protection
11. May 2018
A western monarch rests on a white flower amid a dry, grassy field.
Managing for Monarchs in the West
1. May 2018
A bright orange and black monarch perches on dry flowers in a tan field.
Newly Released Monarch Overwintering Site Management Plan Provides Blueprint for Protecting and Managing Monarch Groves
2. March 2018
A lone monarch in shadow perches atop fluffy, pink blossoms.
Very Low Numbers of Monarchs Overwintering in California may Reflect an Unusual Fall
2. February 2018
pismo beach monarch grove
From the Field: Counting Monarchs in Pismo Beach
29. November 2017
golden crownbeard
Autumn Pollinators in Oklahoma
14. November 2017
monarch cluster
New Guidelines for Protecting California’s Butterfly Groves
8. November 2017
A queen bumble bee looks for a spot within a thick leaf cover.
Leave the Leaves!
6. October 2017
Bright yellow flowers bloom in the foreground of a scene with many layers. Farther out is a basin filled with subalpine lakes, and beyond are many mountain peaks.
Don’t Downsize the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
24. July 2017
monarch cluster
First New Year’s Monarch Count Completed
9. June 2017
A bumble bee holds on to a group of small pale pink flowers on a single stem.
Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Deserves Protection, Not Delay
2. March 2017
Monarchs cluster on an evergreen tree branch.
2017 Monarch Numbers Are Down, Lengthening a Worrying Trend
9. February 2017
bombus affinis
Rusty Patched Bumble Bee: The First Bee in the Continental U.S. to be Protected Under the Endangered Species Act
11. January 2017
monarch
To Save Monarchs, We Need More than Just Milkweed
7. December 2016
Multiple clusters of monarchs gather on the branches of trees.
Five Lesser-Known Places to See Monarchs Overwintering in California
23. November 2016
A western glacier stonefly rests on a brown rock
In a rapidly warming climate, imperiled species may have nowhere to run.
30. September 2016
asclepias speciosa
Monarch & Milkweed Workshops Engage Public Land Managers in Western States
20. July 2016
monarchs in flight
Monarchs Overwintering in Coastal California Show Steep Decline Since the Late 1990s
8. July 2016
island marble
Island Marble Butterfly: Slipping Towards Extinction
5. April 2016
crystal skipper
The Crystal Skipper: North Carolina’s Newest Butterfly Species
3. December 2015
counting monarchs
Harnessing the Power of Science
1. December 2015
ruby meadowhawk
ID Dragonflies and Locate Hotspots with the Dragonfly ID App!
3. October 2015
bombus occidentalis
Climate Change Driving, Not the Only Passenger; Bumble Bee Conservation in Context
16. July 2015