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Miles that a single Monarch butterfly flies in its lifetime. This week, the Monarch—one of North America’s most beautiful butterflies—was officially classified as an Endangered Species. Between 1980 and 2021, the population of Monarchs living west of the Rocky Mountains declined 99.9%, according to wildlife officials. Much of the decline is the result of farmers using glyphosate (an ingredient in Roundup) which destroys milkweed plants on which Monarchs lay their eggs.