The number of monarchs wintering in California has dropped to a five-year low, despite more volunteers counting more sites in search of the orange-and-black insect that is arguably the most admired of North American butterflies, a report said on Friday.   Read more

The dusky gopher frog is small and stout, about three inches long, with warts on its back and a guttural call that sounds like a snore. It lives in the ephemeral ponds of longleaf pine forests in Mississippi.   Read more

The Supreme Court says it will take up a dispute over Louisiana timberland that the federal government called critical habitat for an endangered frog found only in Mississippi.   Read more

Changes are in the works for regulations under the Endangered Species Act that could affect a multitude of landowners and any industries having an impact on land or rivers and streams. Read more

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing preliminary ecological and human health risk assessments for these neonicotinoid insecticides — clothianidin, thiamethoxam, and dinotefuran — and a preliminary ecological risk assessment for imidacloprid, assessing risks to birds, mammals, non-target insects, and plants.   Read more

A  long battle to hold the EPA accountable for protecting endangered species is colliding with Trump politics.   Read more

Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. made an unusual move last year when the company announced it would remove a class of insecticides linked to bee deaths from its Ortho brand of home and garden products by 2021.   Read more