TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) Federal officials on Tuesday declared the monarch butterfly a candidate for threatened or endangered status, but said no action would be taken for several years because of the many other species waiting for that designation.

Environmentalists said delaying that long could spell disaster for the beloved black-and-orange butterfly, once a common sight in backyard gardens, meadows and other landscapes now seeing its population dwindling.

The monarchs status will be reviewed annually, said Charlie Wooley, head of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Great Lakes regional office. Emergency action could be taken earlier, but plans now call for proposing to list the monarch under the Endangered Species Act in 2024 unless its situation improves enough to make the step unnecessary.