Volunteers helping to track monarch butterfly migration and milkweed phenology across North America. 

Fall migration has begun. Help us track monarch migration and the presence of milkweed. Read through our protocols and then submit your observational reports.

Fall Reporting Protocols -

1. Report Monarch Adult Sighted

• What: Where are monarchs? Report all monarch adults after reporting your first observation of a migrating monarch. Report number of monarchs observed at a single location.
• Comments: What behaviors did you observe, such as flying, nectaring (and upon what flower species), mating, basking in shade or sun?
• Frequency: Report once a week when monarchs are present. Occasional reporting welcome.
• Photos: Always welcome. Photos provide a voucher for observational reports.

2. Report Monarch Egg Sighted and/or Monarch Larva Sighted

• What: Is breeding happening? Report the presence of monarch egg(s).
• Frequency: Report once a week when monarch eggs are present. It is difficult to track individual eggs and larvae. Daily counts of eggs and larvae are not necessary. Noting presence of monarch egg(s) is sufficient. If you want to count monarch egg(s), please count once during the week, and submit one report with the totals counted that day. Occasional reporting welcome.
• Comments: If known, please report species of milkweed you observed the egg(s) and/or larvae on?
• Photos: Always welcome. Photos provide a voucher for observational reports.

3. Report Monarch Other Observations

• What: Observations of interesting behaviors including mating, laying eggs, nectaring (please let us know flowering plant species if known), basking in the sun, chrysalis, and deceased monarchs.
• Frequency: Report once a week. Occasional reporting welcome.
• Photos: Always welcome. Photos provide a voucher for observational reports.

4. Report Monarch PEAK Migration

• What: Monarch Fall migration is spectacular and also unpredictable. People often report seeing large numbers of monarchs flying in a clear “directional” flight or seeing “hundreds of butterflies” nectaring in a field of flowers fueling up for the long flight. If you witness what seems to be a large number of monarchs for your area (i.e. dozens, hundreds), please report this sighting under PEAK Migration. 
• Frequency: Report daily during these peak monarch movements are happening.
• Comments: For reported numbers to be meaningful, please let us know (1) the length of time you spent counting monarchs, (2) your count estimation techniques and (3) weather and wind directions.
• Photos: Always welcome. Photos provide a voucher for observational reports.

5. Report Monarch Fall Roosts

• What: Migrating monarchs cluster together in trees at night, forming what is called a roost. A roost may have a handful of butterflies or more than you can count. Fall roost reports should reflect the number of monarchs observed within a roost for a single night.
• Frequency: Report every evening when roosting monarchs are present.
• Comments: Let us know when the roost formed, how you estimated the number of monarchs roosting, and other information (such as nearby nectar sources, species of tree(s) in roost, and whether the monarchs are shielded from the wind in their location).
• Photos: Always welcome. Photos provide a voucher for observational reports.

6. Report Milkweed Sighted

• What: Where are milkweed plants? Report milkweed presence across the landscape.
• Comments: If known, please report (1) the species milkweed, (2) the height of the emergent plant (emergent: 2-5 inches; leaves present: 5 inches; a few flowers present with budding just starting; fruiting with pods present; leaves yellowing). Also, please let us know the size of the milkweed patch (few – 1-15 stems; denser patch – 15-50 stems; abundant patch – 50-100 stems; very abundant – 100+ stems). Frequency: Report once a week. Occasional reporting welcome.
• Photos: Always welcome. Photos provide a voucher for observational reports.

Letters From The Field 

For news of the western monarch population, Ms. Gail Morris will begin her weekly posts in September. Catch up on her previous news updates: 

Western Monarch News Archive.

Ms. Estela Romero will begin her posts in November. These posts provide rich stories from the monarch sanctuaries in the States of Michoacán and Mexico, in central Mexico. For Ms. Romero’s reports from Sierra Chincua and El Rosario Sanctuaries please refer to: 

Letters From The Field: Archive Collection: Ms. Estela Romero. 

For Ms. Romero’s posts describing her work with the Symbolic Migration Project and other environmental educational programming, please refer to her weekly blog posts. 

Subscription Information: Migration News

Interested in learning more about monarch butterflies? Subscribe to Journey North Monarch Migration & Milkweed Phenology Project News Updates. Click the “subscribe” button in the top-right corner of any published news update. These news updates will be delivered to your inbox twice a month.

Thank you!