After seven years in the making, the state has unveiled the monarch butterfly decal license plate.
Proceeds from the decals will benefit the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Monarch Habitat Fund, which fosters habitats that support the beloved orange butterflies’ migratory journey south to Mexico each fall. The organization has a goal of adding 150 million new milkweed stems and other nectar resources to the Illinois landscape in the next 15 years.
Illinois’ state insect since 1975, the North American monarch butterfly was classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature last summer, though in September the organization downlisted the species to “vulnerable to extinction.” The union cited population decline due to extreme weather events fueled by climate change as well as widespread habitat loss. The latter is especially true in Illinois, where less than 0.1% of the state’s native prairie habitat still exists despite being known as the Prairie State.
“When we think about it, the monarch being a butterfly and an insect, it’s a charismatic symbol for pollinators that are so important to the state of Illinois. Pollinators are important to our ecological habitat and they are important to our agricultural systems,” Illinois Environmental Council Executive Director Jen Walling said at the unveiling. “Every bite of food we eat, we need to think about pollinators. We need to be sure we’re protecting their habitat to protect ourselves and the monarchs.”
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