Wanted: Monarch Butterfly Reports
We hope you're watching carefully for monarchs and are ready to
report them! Your sightings are especially important this spring.
Please send them by e-mail to:
Or, Press the blue button below labeled Report Field Observations.
Here are this week's new sightings:
Date...............Location
04/04 & 09/96......Monticello, AR (33.370 N, 91.450 W)
04/11/96...........Monticello AR (33.370 N, 91.450 W)
04/12/96...........Trimble, TX ( 31.076 N, 97.040 W)
04/17/96...........Webster Groves, MO (38.353 N, 90.212 W)
04/18/96...........Lincoln, NE (40.880 N,101.500 W)
04/23/96...........Oklahoma City, OK (35.280 N, 97.305 W)
04/27/96...........Gatlinburg,TN (35.425 N, 83.303 W)
04/27/96...........Columbia, Maryland (38.592 N, 77.051 W)
04/28/96...........Oley, PA (40.231 N,75.4 N,77.564 W)
05/01/96...........Omemee, Ontario (44.302 N,78.557 W)
05/02/96...........Wilmington, NC (34.133 N,77.564 W)
05/04-05/96........Brazos County, TX (30.400 N ,96.190 W)
You're the Scientist!
When we receive reports of monarch sightings we pass them directly
to you. Remember, it's your job to think critically as you interpret
the findings. The e-mail addresses of all observers are always
included so you can contact them directly for more information.
Special thanks to Dr. Orley Taylor of Monarch Watch for contributing monarch sightings for this weeks' report. Monarch Watch coordinates a monarch tagging program and has monarch larvae which you can raise in your classroom. The Monarch Watch WWW site is a wonderful resource for information about monarchs. Be sure to check it out! For more information about Monarch Watch send e-mail to: monarch@falcon.cc.ukans.edu or click here: Monarch Watch.
Ludan Wu, fourth grade student in Miss Boyken's Class at Brimhall School in Minnesota (mboyke01@roseville.k12.mn.us) was the first to respond to last week's Challenge Question #102, "How long is one generation for the following animals?" Here's what she discovered:
"One generation for: an elephant is 13 -14 years, a human is 25 - 30 years, an eagle is 5 years, a robin is 1 year, a loggerhead sea turtle is 10 years, and a monarch is 8 months."
Ludan Wu's answer points out an amazing fact about monarchs. She is right that the monarch generation which lives during the winter reproduces at about 8 months of age. However, here is what's unusual: Monarch generations are much shorter at other times of the year. Monarchs can reproduce when they are very, very young. This chart shows how long it takes for a monarch to develop from an egg into an adult.
Monarch Butterfly Life Cycle: Rate of Development
Stage #Days Average
(range)
Eggs 3- 5 4
Larvae 9-18 12
Pupae 9-18 12
(Note: Temperature affects the rate of development: Monarchs develop more QUICKLY when the weather is WARM and more SLOWLY when it's COOL. )
Challenge Question # 110:
"According to the chart above, what's the shortest amount of time it
can take a monarch to go from an egg to an adult? Assuming an adult
can mate as soon as it emerges, what's the shortest a monarch
generation can be?"
(To respond to this Challenge Question please see the instructions at the end of this report.)
Monarch butterflies go through three stages in development before becoming adults. The chart above shows the length of time they spend at each stage. It is possible for them to increase their size 2,700 times in just 9 days during the larval (caterpillar) stage! Monarch caterpillars eat milkweed so quickly they are like eating machines. They can strip the leaves from a milkweed plant in a matter of days.
Challenge Question # 111:
"If your weight were to increase 2,700 times, how much would you
weigh? If this took 9 days, how many pounds would you gain each
day?"
(To respond to this Challenge Question please see the instructions at the end of this report.)
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COMMENTS FROM OBSERVERS:
From ARKANSAS:
April 4 & 9, 1996
Monarch Sightings in Arkansas
We have had two sightings of monarchs on the University of Arkansas at
Monticello campus (southeast Arkansas)(lat:33.37, Long:91.45). The first
sighting was April 4th, and the second was April 9th. Both times single
monarchs were observed.
Jim Edson edson@uamont.edu
From ARKANSAS:
April 11, 1996
Additional Sighting and Capture
One of my students caught a female monarch today (4/11/96)on the University
of Arkansas at Monticello campus (southeast Arkansas)(lat:33.37, Long:91.45).
It's pretty battered (ragged wings and minus one leg), we put her in a holding
cage with some nectar water and a milkweed plant (the tropical one) with the
hopes that she will lay some eggs. Any suggestions about maintaining her, this
is our first attempt?
Jim Edson, Professor and Students in Science for Elementary
edson@uamont.edu
From TEXAS:
April 12 & 20, 1996
I am remiss in not posting anything about sightings here in Central Texas
yet. My students began bringing in reports about ten days ago (around
4/11 or 4/12 is when I made a note on the calendar) and last Saturday I
saw several toward evening moving through the upper branches of the little
wood next to my house. I haven't seen any feeding.
My place is at Trimble GPS loc. N 31 07.648 W 97 04.045 on the blackland
prairie 20 m. east of Temple; nearest village - Westphalia, nearest place
likely on a map - Rosebud. We have only just had the first significant
rainfall since last Fall and the spring greening has been quite retarded.
Mark Hodges <mhodges@tenet.edu>
From MISSOURI:
April 17, 1996
Saw my first Monarch butterfly of the year today on my noon walk in
Webster Groves, MO (St. Louis). Though you might be interested. It
has been a cool spring and I thought it was unusual for a Monarch to be so
far north. Doug 73632.1224@compuserve.com
From NEBRASKA:
April 18-20, 1996
The monarchs are arriving in Lincoln, Nebraska (40.88 N ; 101.5 W). Five
students reported seeing them in their yards. the following are their
reports:
2 monarchs 4/18; "on flowers"; seen in p.m. going home from school.
Sunny. 70 F.
1 monarch on 4/20 "on my tree"; seen in a.m about 50 F. Sunny day.
1 monarch on 4/20 "perched on a tree"; seen in p.m about 70 F.
Sunny.
2 monarchs on 4/20 in Omaha "by a flower"; seen in p.m 70 F. Sunny.
1 monarch on 4/20 "perched on basketball rim"; in a.m 75 F. Sunny
My students are reliable! The past few days have been windy, with wind
mostly from south.
Rosemary Thornton
Fredstrom Elementary School
Lincoln, NE rthorn@lps.esu18.k12.ne.us
From OKLAHOMA:
April 23, 1996
Reports of Monarchs in the Oklahoma City area began last week. My son
reported seeing a Monarch Tuesday, 4/23 at J.L. Dennis Elementary school in
NW Oklahoma City. My wife saw one in far west Edmond the same day. There
was no report as to the condition of these two insects. We had cold weather
and locally heavy rain over the week-end and Monday, but it has warmed up
considerably with strong south winds.
BTW - Great article in The Science Teacher!
Bob Melton AEBMelton@aol.com
From MARYLAND:
April 27, 1996
Matt spotted a monarch on April 27 at a pond near his house. The
monarch was in very good shape; the wings were bright and not torn. Our
latitude is 39.1833. Our longitude is 76.8500.
Mrs. Lewis' second grade SEM Class
Atholton Elementary School, Columbia, Maryland.
mlewis@umd5.umd.edu
From TENNESSEE & PENNSYLVANIA:
April 27-28, 1996
One student, Chase Briscoe, attended Space Camp in Georgia last week. He
observed a monarch butterfly in Gatlinburg, Tennessee on his way home.
Several days later he also saw a monarch butterfly here in Oley, Pa. The
rest of us are still hoping to spot one!40.23N, 75.49W
(Lynda Eckert) leckert@fast.net
Report from NORTH CAROLINA:
May 2, 1996, (Sighting 4/29)
Karen Linehan, a Museum naturalist that lives on the coast (in the area of
Wilmington, NC) saw a ragged monarch heading northeast on 4/29/96. Unlike
last year, I have yet to see the first monarch in this area. None of our
staff have reported seeing any, even though the butterflyweed is already
about one foot tall. Last year, the milkweeds were half this size when the
monarchs passed through.
It has been a very cool spring here in North Carolina. As elsewhere, winter
was reluctant to retreat, and we have noticed a considerable delay in many of
our usual spring phenomena. Our dogwoods bloomed about two weeks later than
normal. Some native species, like redbud trees, lost most of their flowers in
a late hard freeze. I raise luna moth caterpillars for school programs and
even they have been later than normal in emerging. Last year, they began
emerging from their overwintering cocoons the last few days of March. This
year, they just started coming out last week (week of April 22).
Mike Dunn
Coordinator of Teacher Education
North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences
Raleigh, NC
MikeDunn@aol.com
From ONTARIO:
May 1, 1996
Wow!!! We are happy to announce they are finally here. A monarch was
sighted on May1, 1996. We live at Omemee, Ontario Canada (close to
Peterbrough, Ontario.) Our global address is 44.302N and 78.557W.
>From Miles McLaren and Jordan Brown
syoung@web.apc.org
From NORTH CAROLINA:
May 2, 1996
Just heard again from Karen Linehan, our Museum educator along the
coast, and she reports seeing another monarch flying by as of about
noon today. This one looked much fresher than her earlier sighting.
This one was also flying in a NE direction (she could not confirm
the sex for either sighting).
Hopefully, we inlanders will start seeing them shortly.
Mike Dunn
Coordinator of Teacher Education
North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences
Raleigh, NC
MikeDunn@aol.com
From TEXAS:
May 4-5, 1996
Dear Butterfly 'Netters,
Saw only one Monarch while driving around ne. Brazos Co. (~80 mi. nw. of
Houston,TX) on the afternoons of May 4-5. It was flying low along the
right-of-way near its host plant, Asclepias viridis. A. viridis was fairly
common throughout the area and mostly in full bloom. I didn't see any
obvious larval damage. (I only occasionally looked close enough to see
eggs, but didn't find any).
Michael A. Quinn, Graduate Student
Texas A&M Univ. Dept. Entomology
College Station, TX 77843-2475 USA
MQnature@tamu.edu
MONARCH NOTES
From NEW YORK:
May 2, 1996
Spring is finally arriving in Spencerport, New York (10 miles west of
Rochester). Our tulips, daffodils, and crocuses are in bloom, and our trees
are budding. We have seen some butterflies, but no Monarchs. The few
butterflies spotted were black and yellow and black. We're enjoying the
arrival of Spring, and anxiously await the arrival of the Monarch
Buitterflies.
Mrs. Custer's third grade class. Munn School, Spencerport, NY
Spen3rd@aol.com
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How to Respond to Challenge Questions # 110 (or #111):
1. Send an e-mail message to: jn-challenge@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line write: Challenge Question # 110 (or #111)
3. In the Body of your message, answer ONE of these question:
(Please send only ONE e-mail message per question!)
Challenge Question # 110:
"According to the chart above, what's the shortest amount of time it
can take a monarch to go from an egg to an adult? Assuming an adult
can mate as soon as it emerges, what's the shortest a monarch
generation can be?"
or
Challenge Question # 111:
"If your weight were to increase 2,700 times, how much would you
weigh? If this took 9 days, how many pounds would you gain each
day?"
The Next Monarch Butterfly Migration Update Will be Posted on May 14, 1996.
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