Milkweed & Spring Monarch Migration How to Participate 1) Send an e-mail message to Journey North (jnorth@learner.org) so we know you are willing to help. 2) This fall, find a plot of milkweed plants that are visible NOW, so that the sprouting milkweed can be located next spring. You will need to locate two or three (2 or 3) healthy stands of milkweed that are growing wild in your area. (Healthy plants, even if they are now frosted and brown, are indicated by presence of large seed pods on them, which have shed or are still shedding their seeds.) Get permission from the land owner, and be sure they are not going to spray, plow or harrow or disturb the site until at least June of the next year. 3) Hammer in three to four foot long locator stakes next to six healthy milkweed plants, without disturbing their roots. Drive each stake in at least 6 inches into the ground. (Tomato plant stakes or green bamboo garden stakes with a white string tied in a bow on the top so you can find them in the spring should be fine.) 4) Next spring beginning in early March, you will need to check the stakes two times each week and record (a) when the new shoots appear, (b) measure the shoot lengths, and (c) repeat twice weekly, and count the number of leaf pairs on the shoot each time you check it. 5) Journey North will then map out the timing of milkweed shoot emergence and you will be able to correlate this data set with the data on first monarch appearances at all latitudes. Please volunteer your time to help with this important study! To indicate your interest or ask questions, please write: jnorth@learner.org Copyright 1999 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form