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Record low count in butterfly survey
Western Monarch
2-12 Butterflies
Shown at Natural Bridges State Beach, the site featured the second highest number of Western Monarch butterflies in a recent survey, with 1400 monarchs counted at the Santa Cruz location. Photo Courtesy California State Parks Foundation
Millions of western monarchs used to return to coastal California every year, but the population has plummeted in recent decades, and fewer than 2,000 butterflies were counted in California in 2020.