Monarch Butterflies

Citizen Science and Journey North
Thinking Carefully About Methods

How might observers affect the results of a Journey North study? Ms. Bailey's class in Vero Beach, Florida thought of 43 examples!

  • The observer sees a monarch but doesn't report it.
  • The observer doesn't go outside.
  • The observer might not be looking.
  • The observer might go somewhere where there are no monarchs.
  • The observer might travel to somewhere that there are lots of monarchs.
  • The observer may go outside regularly to look for monarchs.
  • The observer looks carefully on milkweed for monarch butterfly eggs.
  • The observer never looks for monarch eggs.
  • The observer might not live near where milkweed grows.
  • The observer might not live in a migration area.
  • The observer might not live where many monarch butterflies live.
  • The observer might just watch TV all day so he doesn't see any monarchs.
  • The observer might move to a new place.
  • The observer might migrate (they might come south for the winter).
  • The observer might travel away from where there are monarchs.
  • The observer sees monarch eggs but doesn't report it.
  • The observer reports the same butterfly several times.
  • The observer gets sick and can't look for monarchs.
  • The observer might not wake up in time to see the monarchs.
  • The observer might mistake a viceroy or other mimic for a monarch.
  • The observer might see a monarch while he is at work and is not allowed to report it.
  • The observer might be old and he dies overnight.
  • The observer's computer crashes and he can't report the sighting.
  • If the observer gets chicken pox he won't get a chance to look for monarchs.
  • The observer might be blind.
  • The observer may miss a sighting because he has a sick pet and has to take it to the vet.
  • The observer may accidentally kill the monarch by stepping on it and he doesn't report it.
  • If the observer is on an airplane to go to another state to see the monarchs and it crashes, he might never get to see them.
  • The observer sees a caterpillar but doesn't report it.
  • There might be a lot of rainy days so the observer doesn't go look for butterflies.
  • The observer doesn't want to go out and look on the weekend because it's one of his days off.
  • The observer might see a butterfly, but he doesn't have a computer so he doesn't report it.
  • If the observer is at work they can't go out to see the monarch butterflies.
  • The observer might get poisoned and have to go to the hospital so he doesn't see the monarch butterflies.
  • The observer only looks for butterflies on Mondays.
  • The observer could have had a heart attack and passed out.
  • The observer might have crashed in a car and Journey North wouldn't know why he wasn't reporting anything.
  • The observer doesn't see the monarchs because they are hiding.
  • The observer might forget to look for monarchs.
  • If the observer is reading he might not see a monarch fly by and report it.
  • The observer might have to go somewhere.
  • The observer has to work Monday through Friday.
  • The observer is away on a cruise.


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