Grassland Butterflies are on the Decline

Isn't he or she beautiful? I have seen so many butterflies in my life, but never have I seen a butterfly as beautiful as this one. Its bluish color and flamboyant wings emit radiance that just captivate your eyes. This is a Grassland butterfly. They are commonly found in Europe. And unfortunately, they are on a rapid decline.

Since the 1990's, their numbers plummeted to nearly half of their original population, as reported in The Guardian. So what's causing their decline? Poor agricultural practices and pesticides.

Just like bees, which are also threatened by pesticides, Grassland butterflies pollinate plants and flowers. They play a huge role on why we get to enjoy the existence of flowers, plants and farmlands around us. They are also excellent food source to birds and small mammals. So, their rapid decline clearly has negative effects to the overall health of nature and wildlife.

Grassland butterflies make up the majority of butterflies in Europe. And Europe has a huge focus on agriculture that might perish sooner or later because of the absence of these beautiful creatures.

Grassland butterflies are strong indicator of how other insects fare on their environment. Now that they are sinking in population, chances are the rest of other insects are not doing so well either.

Europe needs to come to consensus in resolving their intensive farming and use of pesticides and other chemicals. Otherwise butterflies and other insects may face extinction, which would harshly affect our overall agriculture and ecosystem.

Now that European Union's environment watchdog is aware about the welfare of Grassland butterflies, hopefully this is the start of pivotal change that can turn things around for these butterflies creatures and other insects. Also, just because this is happening in Europe does not mean we can just sit and watch how things unfold. Even in our local communities, there is always room for improvement for every living thing around us.

We all have accountability to take care of each other and our planet. Butterflies and insects may be small creatures, but their role in keeping our beautiful world alive and healthy is quite large. They remind us that small things can make a big difference.

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