Butterflies are being hit hardest by urban growth. Shrinking habitats and food availability are causing their populations to decline. The same applies to many wild bees that fly early in spring.

This is a meta-analysis showing that certain species are more impacted by urbanization than others. In particular, butterflies are susceptible and beekeeping could be exacerbating the issue by displacing native pollinators.

Research Paper: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ele.14277