Butterflies are disappearing from the United States at an alarming rate, with their total population declining by more than a fifth over two decades, a new study has found.

Total butterfly abundance — the total individuals of a species within a given area — plummeted by 22 percent between 2000 and 2020, according to the study, published Thursday in Science.

During that period, about 33 percent of butterfly species underwent significant shrinkage, while many experienced extreme declines in abundance, the research showed.

“For those who were not already aware of insect declines, this should be a wake-up call,” said lead author Collin Edwards, of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, in a statement.

To draw their conclusions, Edwards and his colleagues from around the country combed through data from 76,000 surveys — a lofty task, as most........

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