VOA慢速英语2017 今冬帝王蝶将滞留北方

Many Monarch 1 Butterflies Not Flying South for Winter

For many Americans, monarch butterflies are a sign of changing seasons.

对于许多美国人来说，帝王蝶预示着季节的变化。 

In the late summer and early autumn, the butterflies fly south, from Canada and the United States’ mainland to Mexico.

夏末早秋之时，蝴蝶飞往南方，从加拿大和美国大陆飞往墨西哥。 

But Darlene Burgess still keeps seeing the bright, colorful insects – and she lives in Canada.

而居住在加拿大的达琳·伯吉斯仍然能看到这种颜色鲜亮，色彩多姿的昆虫。 

Burgess keeps counts of Monarch butterflies at Point Pelee National Park in Ontario. "As nice as this [the large numbers of Monarchs 2] is to see, I really wish I wouldn’t see it because they’re running out of time," she said. It’s really not good for them.

伯吉斯持续记录着位于安大略湖皮利角国家公园的帝王蝶数量。“很高兴看到（这么多帝王蝶），我希望不要再看到它们了，因为它们的时日已经不多了，”她说道。“这对于帝王蝶并不是件好事。”

Monarchs are not just staying in Canada. Groups of them have been seen north of the Mexican border, such as the American state of New Jersey 3. Their large numbers are not normal for late October.

帝王蝶不仅滞留在加拿大。有人在墨西哥北部边界地带还看到一些帝王蝶的身影，比如在美国的新泽西州。按理说，人们在10月底不会再看到帝王蝶了。

Monarchs normally arrive in Mexico around November 1st. The number of "stragglers" in Canada and the U.S. is "definitely new territory for us," said Chip Taylor, a biology professor at the University of Kansas. He also is the director of Monarch Watch, an organization that studies the butterflies.

通常在11月1日左右，帝王蝶就会到达墨西哥。加拿大和美国那些“离群的蝴蝶”“无疑是我们探索的新领域”。堪萨斯大学的生物学教授齐普·泰勒说道，他也是“守护帝王蝶”蝴蝶研究组织的创办人。

There are a few reasons why the monarchs did not fly south when they were supposed to. Some monarchs were born late. Some did not move south because of warm weather. Others could not fly south because of strong winds that lasted for weeks.

为什么帝王蝶没有在特定的时间飞往南方，这有某些原因。有些帝王蝶出生晚。有些因天气温暖而没有迁往南方。另一些因持续数周的强风无法飞往南方。

Now, they may be stuck because temperatures are starting to fall.

而现在气温开始下降，它们就滞留在北方。 

Elizabeth Howard is a biologist and director of a non-profit group called Journey North. She said the Monarch’s muscles do not work well when temperatures go below 15 degrees Celsius 4.

伊丽莎白·霍华德是名生物学家，也是“北方之旅”这一非盈利组织的的创始人。她说，气温下降到15摄氏度以下时，帝王蝶的肌肉就无法更好地活动。

If the butterflies do not freeze, they are likely to starve to death because many of the plants they eat are gone for the season, Howard noted 5.

霍华德指出，如果蝴蝶不会挨冻，它们很有可能会饿死，因为这个季节它们吃的大多数植物都没有了。

Monarchs have faced a number of problems in recent years. Habitat loss, climate change, and chemical pesticides 7 have hurt the butterfly population, said Lincoln Brower, a biology professor at Sweet Briar College. Brower has been studying the butterflies since 1954.

近几年来，帝王蝶面临着许多问题。栖息地缺失、气候变化以及化学杀虫剂削减了蝴蝶的数量。林肯·布劳尔是斯威特布莱尔学院的生物学教授说道布劳尔自1954年以来就在研究帝王蝶。

The colorful creatures also have a decreasing food supply – especially in the form of milkweeds, which are the only food they can eat when they are caterpillars 9.

这种色彩斑斓的生物也面临着食物短缺——尤其是乳草类食物，这是它们在毛虫时期唯一的食物。 

Taylor notes that this year may not be as bad as some of the most recent years. The 2013-2014 season was especially bad.

泰勒指出，今年可能不如近几年来那样糟。2013年到2014年是最糟的年份。 

Not all is lost, he said.

他说：“还有一丝生机。” 

Words in This Story

straggler – n. a person or animal that moves slower than others and becomes separated from them

habitat – n. the area where a plant, animal or insect normally lives

pesticide 6 – n. a product that kills animals or insects that damage crops

milkweed – n. a type of North American plant that has white juice

caterpillar 8 – n. a small creature that is like a worm with many legs and that changes to become a butterfly or moth