There are less than 3 weeks remaining in our monarch migration study this spring, so let's really push for a strong finish! Tell your teacher you need to go outdoors for science class this week to watch for monarchs! Here are some field biology activities you can do while you're there:
* With the help of a field guide to wildflowers, see if you can find milkweed growing near your school grounds. Where does the guide say milkweed can be found?
* Look at the milkweed plant carefully and sketch it in your lab notebook. Where are the leaves positioned on the stem? What is the texture of the leaves? The color?
* Measure the plant's height, and carefully look for monarch eggs beneath the leaves. Sketch any other insect life you find on the plant.
* If you can't find milkweed or monarchs, don't worry. Just sketch other plant and insect life you see. Remember, it doesn't matter how well you can draw, it's the process that's important. Drawing is probably the best way to develop your observation skills.
If you're lucky enough to see a monarch report it to:
Sightings Reported This Week:
Date Location April 27 Centreville, Virginia April 29 Chantilly, Virginia May 3 Henrietta, New York (near Rochester) May 3 Elmont, Long Island, New York. May 4 Bedford, New Hampshire May 6 Lincoln, Nebraska May 6 Elmont, Long Island, New York May 7 Abingdon, Virginia May 7 Elmont, Long Island, New York May 7 North Smithfield, Rhode Island May 7 Barnegat, New Jersey May 8 Lincoln, Nebraska May 11 Oakdale, Minnesota May 11 Arden, North Carolina (near Asheville)
April 27 Kids have sighted monarchs in their backyard, on the ball field, and around the neighborhood. First sighting: Baseball field at Centreville, Virginia around 5:47pm on 4/27, temp 78 F. Second sighting: Backyard of Chantilly, Virginia on 4/29. We are just about 30 min outside nation's capital. We have been following the monarch butterflies since one of our 5th grade teachers got the info. We have a map outside the computer room and all the printout info. from cybersapce next to it. We are going to keep it all in a binder in our library for the years to come. Kamay Weiskopf Computer Teacher, St. Timothy School, Chantilly, Virginia KWeiskopf@aol.com
May 3 We sighted a monarch on Wednesday May 3,1995 at approx. 4:30 p.m. We were walking along a path, by our school, when a monarch flew in front of us. We are from Sherman Elementary School in Henrietta, New York. Our names are Shanna Fiorucci and Jessica Doucette. FDYT89C@prodigy.com
May 3 Since we met last week we have a lot of monarchs to report. All of these have been seen in Elmont, Long Island, New York. (a suburb of New York City)
May 3 - Steven Farkas saw a monarch in his neighbor's yard. It was flying alone. May 6 - On Saturday Billy O'Brien saw a monarch sitting on a tree branch at Averill Park in Franklin Square. (The next town east of Elmont) May 7 - Several classmates saw monarchs on Sunday Jimmy Scrimo saw one on milkweed plants in an overgrown yard on Gotham Avenue at 3:30 pm. Jimmy knows it's milkweed because he broke off a stem and saw the white milky stuff. Matthew Burch saw a monarch in his front yard flying low and slow near a pink flowering bush. It was alone. The weather was calm, sunny, and warm 70 degrees. Yolan Baker saw one in the graveyard sitting on flowers someone put on a tombstone. Yolan's house is next to the Beth David Cemetery. Yajiv Shiwmangal caught a monarch on a flower and felt it in his hand. Then he let it go. It left powdery stuff on his hand. Is that scales or pollen? May 8 - Katie Mooney saw a monarch in Averill Park near a flowering tree. It was a bright orange and black one. No one in our class has seen more than one butterfly. They were always alone. That's the story from Ms. Babcock's Tuesday class. Alden Terrace School, Elmont, NY k12elbac@vaxc.hofstra.edu
May 4 Hi! We are writing from the Peter Woodbury School in Bedford, New Hampshire. Our Library Paraprofessional, Mrs. Biscornet, has spotted our first Bedford Monarch - on Thursday, May 4. She said it was extremely large, and was fluttering all around her house. We sure hope that it found some flowers in bloom - we have some spring bulbs and shrubs flowering, but our night temperatures have dipped as low as 29 degrees F, so not much else is blooming.
Our second grade is working together with many local businesses, families, and school staff to create a butterfly garden adjacent to the school. The community has been extremely generous, and we are ready to break ground. We hope to use this sight as an outdoor classroom, in which many areas of our curriculum may be enriched. We especially hope to attract monarchs (we are planting a wild section of milkweed), as we study them in the fall as part of our migration unit.
Our latitude and longitude are as follows: 42 59' 28" Lat N, 89 22' 55" Long W Hope you can find us! Leslie Fredette, Peter Woodbury School Bedford, New Hampshire LFREDETTE@a1.mec.mass.edu
May 6 More monarchs have been reported at school. Marcus Tiedgen and Phillip Mays spotted a monarch in the Highlands neighborhood sitting on the garage at 6822 N.W.7th on May 8 (a sunny day). Todd Corey also saw a monarch flying at Mahoney State Park near Lincoln, on May 6, a partly cloudy day. From Mrs. Ough's 5th Grade Class, Fredstrom School Lincoln, Nebraska Mrs. Thornton, Science Teacher
May 7 I saw a monarch near my pond on 5/7/95 in North Smithfield. Jared Lemieux, North Smithfield Elementary School North Smithfield, Rhode Island nsest001@llwsbe.wsbe.org
May 7 Finally have seen my first North Carolina monarch:Arden,N.C. (near Asheville, in the mountains) on 5/11/95. Looked fresh. Also saw one at my parents farm in the mountains of Virginia (near Abingdon, VA) on 5/7/95. Both sightings were of butterflies flying steadily north-norteast. Still no caterpillars to be found in the Raleigh area. What a change from last year at this time. Mike Dunn North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences MikeDunn@aol.com
May 7 Alan Gregory of Conyngham, Pa. had his first sighting of a monarch on May 7/95 at the Brigantine National Wildlife Centre on the coast of New Jersey (near Barnegat). Regards, Don Davis Donald_Davis@stubbs.woodsworth.utoronto.ca
May 10 Hi! we are two kids from Castle Elementary in Oakdale, MN. On May 10,we sighted a monarch butterfly around 11:30 a.m. Please contact us. Thanks, Danielle and Jenna castlemc@Enigma.metro2.k12.mn.us
Journey North 125 North First Street Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401 Phone: (612)339-6959