By: Saanvi Sharma
Since the 1990s, environmental issues have become a growing concern around the world. Climate change, pollution, and habitat destruction have affected everything including weather patterns to wildlife and Buffalo being an industrial hub in the past is no exception. While most people know about air pollution or water quality issues in industrial cities like ours, there is a far quieter crisis happening right here in our community. One that’s been slowly going on for decades — the disappearance of monarch butterflies.
Over the past 40 years or so the monarch butterfly population in Buffalo has dropped by more than 90%. These beautiful insects used to be a common sight during the warmer months, from spring to fall. Now, however, they’re harder and harder to find. Most people don’t even realize the butterflies are missing. Monarch butterflies aren’t just pretty, they are important pollinators for the wildlife in our area.
In our school’s AP Biology classes, students were challenged to investigate a real-world issue in their community and create a project to make a positive impact. One group decided to tackle the monarch crisis, diving into research about the butterflies, their migration patterns, and why they’re no longer thriving in Buffalo. They were determined to find a way to make an impact on their community no matter how small it may have seemed.
One major discovery was the importance of milkweed. Milkweed is a native plant that monarch caterpillars rely on as their only food source. Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed, and the caterpillars eat it to grow and survive. Without it, monarchs simply can’t reproduce. Unfortunately, due to urban development and herbicide use over the last 40 years, milkweed has become increasingly rare in Buffalo and across America.
The students knew they wanted to do something more than just passive research. They decided to raise awareness not just among their classmates, but throughout the whole school and community. They started an outreach campaign through social media, where they shared facts, videos, and posts about monarchs and the importance of milkweed. You can follow them on their Instagram account (@buffalomilkweedfoundation) and support their cause. They raised money through their Go Fund Me, which will be used to fund planting milkweed around the community in the coming summer months. Their goal was to inform people about the issue and show them how small actions like planting milkweed or supporting pollinator gardens can truly help make a large difference.
By the end of the project, the group didn’t just learn about monarchs, they also learned about the power of community action and the role students can play in protecting the environment. With more awareness and continued efforts over the summer and coming years, there’s hope that they can make a bigger impact. As these students like to say, they are “bringing monarchs back to Buffalo, one milkweed at a time”.