Milkweed and Migration Study Instructions for Registration and Data Collection Instructions for Registration Step #1: Register for Journey North Go to the Journey North Registration Form. All Milkweed Volunteers must register for the "regular" Journey North program. Why this is necessary: Milkweed volunteers will be reporting Monarch migration observations to the "regular" Journey North program. This way our computer can use your registration records to look up your latitude and longitude and put your sightings on the migration map. Registration is free, of course. You can choose NOT to receive daily e-mails from Journey North. (When you fill out the registration form, simply select "NO" when asked if you want to receive "Journey North News Reports".) Step #2: Register Your Milkweed Site Important: Registering your MILKWEED SITE is a different step than Step 1 above! When you register your Milkweed Site, you will be asked to describe your site in detail. Please do not be overwhelmed by the many questions asked about your study site! If any questions are difficult to answer, just skip those questions. If you are monitoring more than one site, you must register each site separately. After you complete your registration you will receive a "Milkweed Site Number". Print the page and save this number! You will need it in Step #4 below (Reporting Data). Before going to the Milkweed Site Form, read through the explanation below. Then go to the Milkweed Site Form. You will be asked to fill out the following fields on the form. Here is an explanation of what is wanted for each field: Species of Milkweed Growing at This Site: Click Here for help with milkweed identification. You do NOT need to know how to identify milkweed to species. Any species of milkweed is of interest. (Because our goal is to monitor WHEN milkweed is available to monarchs early in the spring, data on any species of early-growing milkweed will be of interest.) If you can't identify the study species, simply select "Can't identify Milkweed Species". Remember: We're more interested in knowing WHEN milkweed is available to monarchs than WHICH species it is. The Milkweed is Growing Wild or in a Garden: Please indicate where your milkweed stand is growing. Is yours a completely wild site or is it a garden? (Garden plots often receive water, fertilizer and other management practices that may affect the rate of growth. Because we are trying to learn when wild milkweed is available in your region, it's important for us to know if yours is a wild or cultivated plot.) Slope of Land: Direction of Slope: Important: If the land is FLAT, skip this field. (Flat land has no slope so there can be no direction of slope.) If your plot is on sloping land, which direction does the land face? The direction of slope will affect the angle of the sun's rays that are striking your site, and thereby affect plant growth. To measure the Direction of Slope you will need a compass. Go out to your milkweed site. Lie on your back, with your head at the highest point and feet at the lowest point. Next, sit up and read your compass. The direction you are facing is the direction your garden faces--the direction of slope. If your milkweed plot is located on more than one hill, or if slope is difficult to measure, you may describe this in the "Describe Your Site in Detail" section later in the questionnaire. Direction of Slope Using compass, determine and report the direction that your site faces. Northerly (315-44 degrees) Easterly (45-134 degrees) Southerly (135 -224 degrees) Westerly (225 - 316 degrees) Slope of Land: Steepness of Slope The slope of land on which your plot is growing can influence the microclimate of your site. Unless you have a tool to measure the degree of slope, please estimate slope using these descriptions: MOSTLY LEVEL SLIGHT RISE MODERATE RISE STEEP RISE Altitude Try to locate a local source to find your own altitude. Altitude for some, but NOT ALL towns can be found here: USGS Mapping. (Please let us know if you're aware of a website for Canadian altitude look-up. Or, a better source for U.S. look-up.) If your altitude is in feet, please convert feet to meters. (1 foot = 0.31 meters) Exposure to Sunlight Observe your site for a couple of days and estimate the average number of hours of direct sunlight that fall onto the study plot area. The amount of sunlight can be influenced by the degree and direction of slope, and by the close proximity of trees, mountains, buildings, etc. Describe Your Site in Detail: This field allows you to write about any factors that might affect the microclimate of your site that you may not have been able to accurately describe earlier in the questionnaire. Please limit your comments to approximately 150 words (1,000 characters) because the computer will cut off comments beyond that length. About the Participants In this section we are asking you to clearly identify yourself. We need the name of the Contact Person, the E-mail Address, the Nearest Town, and the state/Province. IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE STUDY PLOT, YOU WILL NEED TO COMPLETE ONE FORM FOR EACH PLOT. Important: As soon as you press the button to submit your registration you will receive your "Milkweed Site Number". Be sure to print and save the page that shows your number. You will need it in Step #4 below! Step #3: Instructions for Data Collection PRINT AND TAKE into the FIELD: Data Collection Form: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/MilkweedFieldSheet.html Print out a number of copies to take out to the field with you for recording purposes. Store the copies in your field notebook. Use your notes to Report Your Data (Step #4) below. Step #4: Report Your Data Go to the Milkweed Data Report Form. (http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/MilkweedReport.html) BOOKMARK THIS ADDRESS: You will need to use this form many times. To report your milkweed observations you will be asked to fill out the fields A-G below. Here is an explanation of what is wanted for each field: A. Enter Your Site Number: Carefully enter the site number you were issued when you submitted your registration information. (Step #2 above.) If you have more than one site that you are monitoring (and more than one Site Number) you will need to fill out observations for one site at a time. Of course, if you have lost your site number we will be happy to assist you: our feedback form B. Date of Observation: Remember to use the date that you actually made your observations as the date entered here. C. Reporting Data About: In this field you will check the Plant # you are reporting data about (Plant #1-#10). Very Important: You may monitor up to 10 milkweed plants in this study. However, you must fill out a NEW REPORT FORM each time you report an "event" about each milkweed plant. (See "Event Reporting" below.) D. Event Reporting: For each of your milkweed plants, watch for the following "events" to occur. New milkweed shoot emerges First pair of leaves opens Second pair of leaves opens Third pair of leaves opens Hard frost occurres (Cold enough to wither milkweed leaves.) Report the date each event occurred for each plant. (Again, you must fill out a NEW REPORT FORM each time you report an "event" about each milkweed plant.) E. Height of Milkweed at Observation Time: When the "event" you are reporting occurred, what was the height of the plant? (Use a metric ruler to measure the plant's height. Select the box showing the height of your plant at the time. Heights are measured in centimeters.) F. Growing Degree Days (optional): When the "event" you are reporting occurred, how many "Growing Degree Days" had accumulated? Important: This is optional! You do not need to measure Growing Degree Days. If you are interested in learning more, see: http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarch/MilkweedGDD.html G. Monarch Butterfly Observations: Please help track the monarch migration along with this milkweed study. Go to: /jnorth/sightings Watch for: First monarch egg First monarch larva (caterpillar) First adult monarch Additional Comments: If you have additional comments, write them here. Limit your comments to approx. 150 words (1,000 characters). The computer will cut off comments beyond that length. Submit Your Observations: Simply click on the bar to submit your report. Copyright 2000 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form