Here are some reasons scientists have had a hard time studying monarch roosts during fall migration:
- It's hard to find a roost!
- Roosting monarchs are quiet. People can't hear them.
- Roosting butterflies are hard to see.
- They are well camouflauged. They look like leaves.
- They are often high in the trees.
- It's dark much of the time because the monarchs arrive at sunset (and may leave early in the morning).
- Roosts form in unpredictable places; they can't always be found in the same place every year.
- Roosts don't stay in a place for long.
- The monarch's breeding range is large.
- The migration season is short.
- Fall migration happens only once a year.
- Scientists have busy lives. They might not have time to travel during fall migration season.
- It's hard to study something if you don't know when or where to find it!
- Can you think of other reasons?
This is why observations made by citizen scientists can be so important. Regular people can contribute observations that are difficult or impossible for a scientist to make. |