APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – A new push is underway to make the Monarch butterfly the official state butterfly of Wisconsin.
Former State Treasurer Jack Voight, who co-founded the Butterfly Gardens of Wisconsin, is teaming up with seventeen other state lawmakers to pass a bill that honors the beloved orange and black pollinator.
Voight hosted a press conference at the Butterfly Garden of Wisconsin in Appleton to promote the proposed legislation. He was joined by State Representative Paul Tittl (R–Manitowoc) and State Senator Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R–Appleton), two key supporters of the bill in the state Legislature.
Monarchs are wonderful pollinators and their conservation directly benefits a variety of other plants, animals and pollinators. Because children love Monarchs, their presence also helps kids to enjoy outdoors.
State Representative Paul Tittl
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The Monarch butterfly is not only beautiful, it’s a vital pollinator that travels thousands of miles each year, coming from Mexico and going north Wisconsin on its summer journey. They’ll breed in Wisconsin and migrate back south in the fall. But the species has seen a 90% decline in population since 1990, largely due to habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change.
The push to make the Monarch Wisconsin’s official state butterfly has been introduced in both the State Assembly (AB 322) and the State Senate (SB 334). Supporters say the bill not only celebrates the Monarch’s role in the ecosystem, but also fits Wisconsin’s long-standing conservation values.
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Sen. Cabral-Guevara has emphasized that designating the Monarch would be more than symbolic, it could help educate the public and support environmental efforts statewide.
If successful, Wisconsin would join at least seven other states in naming the Monarch its official butterfly. At a time when pollinators are increasingly under threat, this effort is about more than a state symbol, it’s about taking a stand for the environment.
