The number of monarch butterflies spending winter in the western U.S. dropped dramatically this year, despite moves to extend protections for the insect.

The number of monarch butterflies spending the winter in the western United States dropped dramatically this year even as federal officials move to extend protections for the beloved pollinator

The number of monarch butterflies in California is in sharp decline this year. This is the second-lowest population recording since tracking began in 1997. Biologists say record-high late summer temperatures and drought in the West likely contributed to the dropoff.

The number of monarch butterflies spending the winter in the western United States has dropped to its second-lowest mark in nearly three decades as pesticides, diminishing habitat and climate change take their toll on the beloved pollinator.

The Western population of the monarch butterfly has declined to a near-record low with fewer than 10,000 found living in California this winter, a foreboding sign for the future of the beloved black-and-orange insect.