Virginia Living Museum exhibit raising awareness of endangered monarch butterfly

A museum in Newport News is giving visitors an up-close view of a variety of butterflies, including a well-known species recently declared at risk of extinction.

The Virginia Living Museum released hundreds of butterflies and caterpillars into its Butterfly Haven exhibit last Friday. The exhibit includes monarch butterflies — declared an endangered species two weeks ago by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, a global authority on the status of biological diversity.

The exhibit is the latest activity in a series of butterfly conservation efforts in which the museum has participated throughout the past 30 years. It will give visitors a chance to see native butterflies and learn about their life stages.

The museum is using the exhibit to raise awareness of the challenges monarchs face during their annual migration. The species is struggling because of deforestation in Mexico, extreme climate fluctuations in North America and the destruction of milkweed, a key source of food for monarch caterpillars.

“It’s the usual suspects: habitat destruction, pesticides, and increased severe weather,” James Weinpress, the museum’s senior director of living exhibits, said in a news release. “These butterflies are expected to migrate thousands of miles and without proper access to the right food in their various stages of life, which makes the migration extremely difficult.”

Monarch butterflies have long been considered a threatened species, but July marked the first time that they were officially declared at risk of extinction, according to National Geographic. The monarch population has declined by somewhere between 23 and 72% over the past 10 years.

As part of the effort to save the butterflies, the museum urges gardeners to plant native plant species, which are best suited for the local climate and soils, according to the release. Butterflies also rely on milkweed for breeding grounds.

The museum sells a collection of butterfly, nectar and host plants daily and will be hosting a plant sale in September. The exhibit will remain open until Sept. 25 and is included with museum admission.

Jessica Nolte, 757-912-1675, jnolte@dailypress.com