Baby monarch butterflies are starving to death before they can earn their wings

Dear Friend, Eastern monarch butterfly populations down 59% this year. Act fast and donate $100 before monarchs are lost forever! If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $100 immediately]( [Donate $250 immediately]( [Donate $500 immediately]( [Donate another amount]( This is serious. We knew monarch butterfly populations were at risk, but these new numbers are shocking: Eastern migratory monarch populations were down 59% this winter. You read that right. Each year, these monarchs embark on an amazing migration to their wintering grounds in Mexico. But this year, we saw less than half the number of butterflies we saw last year. It’s undeniable, Friend: monarch populations are in freefall – and if we don’t act soon, we could lose them forever. [Will you rush your $100 donation to Friends of the Earth today to fight for a future for monarchs and the planet we share with them?]( Why are we seeing these dramatic declines in monarch populations? Well, Bayer-Monsanto’s Roundup is a key driver. The weedkiller contains a chemical called glyphosate that kills milkweed – the ONLY plant where monarchs lay their eggs! And this isn’t a distant problem: over the last 20 years, 850 million milkweed plants have vanished across the country. Despite these staggering figures, Bayer-Monsanto continues to lie about the dangers of its pesticides. That includes serious health impacts for people, too. But Bayer-Monsanto has manipulated science and dodged regulations designed to keep us and pollinators safe from the toxic effects of its pesticides. This isn’t right, Friend: monarchs, people, and our planet shouldn’t pay the price for Big Pesticide’s corporate greed. The greedy pesticide industry is putting monarchs, people, and our planet at risk. Fight back and donate $100 to Friends of the Earth today. If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $100 immediately]( [Donate $250 immediately]( [Donate $500 immediately]( [Donate another amount]( Milkweed is more than just a place for monarchs to lay eggs, Friend. This plant is also the only food source for baby monarch caterpillars, making it vital for monarch survival. But with increased production and usage of Bayer-Monsanto's Roundup, milkweed has been virtually wiped out across the U.S. – leaving monarch caterpillars starving to death. Even the milkweed plants that survive aren’t safe for monarch young. When toxic pesticides coat milkweed, a caterpillar’s first meal becomes its last. And this is happening every day: a recent study found every single sample of milkweed collected was contaminated with pesticides. These poor babies are dying before they get the chance to transform into the iconic orange and black butterflies you and I are so fond of. The dangers don't end there, Friend. Glyphosate is a probable carcinogen. And it’s associated with reproductive harm in humans, along with disruption of the gut microbiome, kidney toxicity, and fatty liver disease. Farmers and homeowners are suing Bayer-Monsanto due to high rates of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma linked to the Roundup they've used on their farms and lawns. Roundup is causing extensive harm that must be stopped before the damage to people and our environment is irreversible. Our pollinators and our health shouldn’t pay the price for corporate greed. Donate $100 today for the sake of monarchs, people, and our planet. If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $100 immediately]( [Donate $250 immediately]( [Donate $500 immediately]( [Donate another amount]( Monarch migrations used to fill the autumn skies with great displays of orange and black. Now, the population has diminished to the point where many people may never see a monarch. And soon, monarchs could be kissing their future goodbye. But that doesn’t stop Bayer-Monsanto from chasing its payday – no matter the cost to pollinators, people, and our planet. At Friends of the Earth we’re not fooled by Bayer-Monsanto's lies, and we know you aren’t either. We are pushing Bayer-Monsanto to stop producing Roundup, pressuring garden retailers to stop selling toxic products like Roundup in their stores, and encouraging supermarkets to increase their offerings of glyphosate-free organic food. Friend, we need you by our side as we ramp up our efforts to save monarchs from extinction and protect people and our planet. As pesticide use continues to grow, we could be one of the last generations to know the joy of seeing a monarch on a sunny day. Will you be one of the 10 people in your area today that will help us fight to protect monarchs, people, and our planet from toxic pesticides with your membership gift of $100 or more? The stakes are too high to let the pesticide industry wreak havoc on our planet. Donate $100 today! If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately: [Donate $100 immediately]( [Donate $250 immediately]( [Donate $500 immediately]( [Donate another amount]( Standing with you, Kendra Klein Deputy director of science, Friends of the Earth Contact Us: Friends of the Earth U.S. Washington, D.C. | Berkeley, CA 1-877-843-8687 [Contact us]( Email Preferences: [Click here to unsubscribe]( Learn more: www.foe.org/news www.foe.org/about-us www.foeaction.org Connect: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Flickr]( © 2023, Friends of the Earth. All Rights Reserved. [supporter]