Monarch Butterflies
Monarch Migration Update: March 28, 2013
Please Report
Your Sightings!		 Report Your Sightings
Cold temperatures in Texas stopped the migration from Mexico in its tracks. This week's spotlight is Monarch Health.

This Week's Update Includes:

 Image of the Week
Laying Eggs in Texas
Laying Eggs in Texas
Photo: Veronica Moeller
News: Cool and Quiet
Only 8 sightings were reported from Texas over the entire week! The cold temperatures slowed milkweed growth too, and the map showed very little change.

"Wind has been strong from north and temperatures mostly too low for flight. The temperature was only above 50°F for maybe 2 hours late in the afternoon."
Gregg Lee, Chalk Mountain, Texas (March 23)

"The milkweed is still quite small here in central Texas, but I finally found one egg and one caterpillar after almost three hours of searching."
Dawn Turner, Brentwood, Texas (March 25)

More on the Way
Students in Queretaro counted 50 monarchs per hour flying over their school last Thursday. That's a large count for spring, even at a site 60 miles from the sanctuary region where this school is located.

Sanctuary Empty
 Estela Romero says monarchs have definately left. "I was informed by the El Rosario guides that the very last ones from the weekend of March 16th are now gone."
Monarch butterfly: Too Cold to Fly
Too Cold to Fly
 
Eggs Mean Monarchs

Eggs Mean Monarchs!
One way to watch for monarchs is to watch for eggs. Check your milkweed regularly. You'll know monarchs have arrived even if you never see one!
Project Spotlight: Monarch Health
With the monarch population at an all-time low, people are looking for ways to help. Researchers at the University of Georgia invite you to collect data on wild monarchs to help track levels of disease. "We would be excited to have you join our team of citizen scientists," says monarch biologist Dr. Sonia Altizer. Volunteers Needed: Project Monarch Health
Ask the Expert : Answers Are Here
Special thanks to monarch expert Dr. Karen Oberhauser for answering readers' questions again this year.

 Monarch Butterfly Egg
Get Ready: Spring Migration is Underway!
  • Please report your monarch and milkweed sightings.
Monarch butterfly migration map Map of milkweed emergence: Spring 2013 Journal Page
Journal
Monarchs
(map | animation | sightings)
 Milkweed
(map | animation | sightings)
Next update April 4, 2013

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