Monarch Citizen Science Programs

What is citizen science

science that involves the public in organized scientific research

when is citizen science often used

conservation, applied ecology, and natural resource management

list some examples of citizen science projects

national Audubon society’s christmas bird count, cornell lab of ornithology’s feederwatch, ebird, the banished beetle project, migratory dragonfly partnership

what are the scientific reasons to monitor monarchs

the monarchs large spatial and temporal range makes volunteer contributions necessary to answer population level questions, variety of research approaches, monarchs are an ecosystem indicator

what are the practical reasons to monitor monarchs

monarchs are a flagship species, monarchs are declining and monitoring is an important conservation tool, engages youth and adults in science and conservation

Give examples and quick descriptions of monarch citizen science projects

monarch monitoring project - monitor milweed site weekly and report observations, journey north - report observations of first asult seen and fall roosts to track migration, monarch watch tagging - fall migration to tag monarchs, project monarch health - testing adults for parasites OE, Integrated monarch monitoring program - random sampling to collect info needed for monarchs

what is a brief overview of the monarch life cycle

egg → first instar (tentacles in front, none on back) → second instar (tentacles in front and back) → third instar (tentacles in front extend to the tip of head) → fourth instar (front tentacles in front extend beyond the head) → fifth instar (front tentacles extend well beyond the head and droop down) → J stage caterpillar → enclosed crystalize → adult monarch butterfly

what is an instar

the period betwen larval molts and monarch have 5

how do you tell the difference between adult female/male monarchs

males have little pouch on hind wings and female hind wings do not but have thicker lines

give a brief description of monarch butterflies migration

monarch butterflies have multigenerational migrations back and forth from mexico to the northern us/southern Canada in the east, west of the Rockies they have a shorter migration from the west coast to just west of the Rockies.

when and how is the monarch population estimated

in December based on the number of monarchs occupying an area

what is the general trend of monarch populations

in a decline from twenty years of data with record lows in 2013-2014

why are monarchs declining

they get sick or preyed on including diseases and parasites, the weather or climate factors, pesticide use, and habitat loss