This afternoon in west central Missouri:

Via the United States Fish and Wildlife Service:

Petition to protect the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act [pdf]

…Overall the North American monarch population has declined by more than 90 percent in the past two decades based on comparisons of the most recent population size estimates to the 20-year average. Numbers of monarchs east of the Rockies have declined by more than 90 percent since 1995; at most recent count, in winter 2013-2014, monarchs east of the Rockies dropped to the lowest number yet recorded, continuing the progression toward declining numbers seen over the last decade. Similarly, numbers of monarchs west of the Rockies have declined by more than 50 percent since 1997. The significant threats facing the monarch are high in magnitude and ongoing…