| Please Report Your Sightings! |
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This Week's Update Includes:
- News: Monarchs Make Manitoba!
- Explore: Who's Who in the Milkweed Patch?
- Student Showcase: Literature Connection
- Activity: Student Book Reviews
- The Migration: Maps and Journal
| Milkweed Visitors |
When Manitoba's first monarchs appeared near Winnipeg this weekend, they were three weeks early. At latitude 50°N, these monarchs are pressing their luck. Milkweed is just emerging, and the average final frost in Winnipeg isn't until May 25th. Nearby, in northern Minnesota, monarchs found tiny milkweed and spring dandelions:
"First monarch sighting of the year. It's going for dandelions to drink what little nectar there is."
"Milkweed is up 1-2", first female arrived. She laid eggs on every shoot she could find."
Milkweed and Migration
Why do monarchs migrate? Wouldn't it be easier to stay in Mexico? Monarchs are taking advantage of the growing season in the northern hemisphere. As miles and miles of milkweed habitat becomes available, monarchs arrive, lay their eggs—and hungry caterpillars have plenty to eat.
Texas Milkweed Habitat
This stunning series of images shows monarch habitat in Texas over three years—before, during and after extreme drought. Skip Kiphart took the pictures at his MLMP monitoring site at Cibilo Nature Center in Boerne. Last spring, drought gripped the state's critical monarch breeding habitat. Rains have returned to Texas this spring. Has milkweed habitat improved? Kiphart says milkweed density was lower than he expected at his monitoring site. However:
"My sense is that the number of milkweeds in the monitored patches is down but, in my estimation and from reports of others in the area, the overall biomass of milkweed is considerably higher. I'm hearing comments such as, 'I've never had more milkweed on my place, and 'I've never seen more milkweed along the roads,' etc."
Most first generation monarchs are produced in Texas. What conditions there led to the high numbers of monarchs people are seeing now in the north? Was there more milkweed biomass? Were there fewer predators or other monarch enemies? How did warm spring temperatures affect monarch reproduction? Scientists must answer questions like these to understand why the monarch population fluctuates.
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| Got Milkweed? |
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| Milkweed and Migration |
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| Image: Skip Kiphart |
| Texas Milkweed Habitat |
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| Photo: Chuck Patterson |
| A Monarch Enemy |
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| Image: Marcy Cunkleman |
| Watch out! |
Meet some
of the creatures that live in the milkweed patch. How do they make a
living? There are carnivores, herbivores, nectivores, and scavengers.
There are predators and parasites, too. Look closely
at the pictures in the photo gallery, read the descriptive clue cards,
and see if you can figure out who's who!
Did you know?
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"We have been having fun watching our milkweed grow and learning about the milkweed patch. These signs were made to protect our milkweed."
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| "The second grade is preserving this to get monarch butterflies" says the sign of the left. | |
Students read Milkweed Visitors by Mary Holland then made this mural.
Contact us
to share your activities, photos, writing and artwork in the Student Showcase.
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|
 Journal |
| First Monarch (map | animation | sightings) |
First Milkweed (map | animation | sightings) |
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