Monarch numbers are up - but not by that much.
Numbers of the orange and black butterfly species at their winter homes in Mexico were at an all-time low last year, covering just 1.65 acres of land in the same pine and fir forests they've been occupying for millions of years. This year, good news: the butterflies rebounded, to cover 2.79 acres, according to a census by Mexican environmental officials.
Last year's record low prompted the Center for Biological Diversity and the Center for Food Safety to file a legal petition requesting Endangered Species Act protection for the monarch and its habitat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently considering listing the species. Now, the World Wildlife Fund says that protection is still sorely needed, as, despite the increase, monarch populations are still low.