Monarch Butterflies in Trouble

Monarch butterflies are the only known migratory insects in the U.S. They have stronger wings than other butterflies, and they migrate farther than many birds. Last year The Citizen Scientist reported on monarch butterflies and the sharply reduced numbers of monarchs along one of their main flyways in Central Texas (Monarch Butterflies Slow to Appear, 30 April 2004).

In a recent Reuters news story (Biologists Fret As Mexico Butterfly Numbers Dive), Catherine Bremer reported declines in the population of monarchs at their wintering quarters in the Santuario de la Mariposa Monarca El Rosario in Central Mexico. While the number of migrating monarchs is affected by weather, there is concern that illegal logging in Mexico is reducing the number of overwintering sites. Furthermore, reduced habitat in the United States is also a problem. The number of milkweed plants, on which females lay their eggs, is reduced by farming and land development.

Monarch Watch is an educational outreach program at the University of Kansas organized by scientists who study monarchs. Monarch Watch has developed a program in which students and citizen scientists tag the insects and report their location. Monarch Watch has developed an improved butterfly tagging method that is described here.

Monarch Watch is an ideal resource for teaching children about field science and even how to raise and release their own monarch butterflies. Monarch Watch is also an ideal program for individual citizen scientists.

Forrest M. Mims III