The once common sightings of the brightly colored monarch butterfly have become a rarer experience in recent years across Georgia and other travel paths during the pollinator’s annual migration across North America.

U.S. officials decided to extend protections to monarch butterflies after warnings from environmentalists that populations are shrinking and the beloved pollinator may not survive climate change.

Environmentalists say monarch populations are shrinking because of warmer temperatures from brought on by climate change, agricultural expansion and herbicides that have hindered growth of