Family-Outdoors

The Monarch Science Partnership is developing tools and information  so we can better help monarchs,  like this caterpillar, right here, right now. Photo by Joanna Gilkeson/USFWS. Have you ever turned over a milkweed leaf to find a tiny monarch egg or caterpillar during the late spring and summer? Even the most veteran of biologists can’t help but be filled with excitement upon a discovery like this. It’s fascinating. Finding an egg like this, in a northern state like Minnesota, is especially moving when you realize how far it’s parents traveled to make the next generation of monarchs possible. Traveling more than 2,000 miles to reach their overwintering grounds in the mountains of Mexico, monarchs then fly north again in the spring. Sadly though, experiences like this are becoming increasing rare, but we have been pulling together with others who care about monarchs to hopefully reverse this trend. Monarch egg on common milkweed. Monitoring monarch eggs will help s...

Monarch in Michigan courtesy of  platteter For many of us, the sight of ducklings in park ponds or butterflies fluttering around a garden marks the transition of spring into summer. In many instances, these animals continue to have a presence in our lives because Joint Venture efforts are pulling partners together. What is Joint Venture? The origin of the Joint Venture model of conservation is rooted in wetlands and waterfowl management. Started in the mid-1980s, the North American Waterfowl Management Plan was a new approach to migratory bird conservation. It worked by creating regional partnerships that protected and enhanced habitat for priority bird species within specific geographic areas. Fostered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Joint Ventures were found to be efficient and effective at bringing together the right people, science and resources to turn waterfowl conservation goals into realities. From Birds to Butterflies Though an insect, the migratory...

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) . (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Monarch butterflies are struggling. Counts of the familiar orange-and-black insects, admired for their flights of up to 5,000 miles a year, are trending down so sharply that their migration is now under threat. That means fewer monarchs to pollinate crops, spread seeds and feed birds. So how can we help? One simple way is to follow the lead of Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Iowa and consider collecting and sowing milkweed seed. But don’t delay. In much of the country, milkweed pods are ripe for picking in early fall. Why milkweed? Milkweed is the host plant for monarchs—the lone plant on which the butterflies lay their eggs in spring and the only food source for monarch larvae. One reason monarchs are failing is that milkweed is disappearing from the American landscape. Scientists blame land-use practices such as farming with crops genetically modified to resist herbicides. The herbicides kill plants such as mil...

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and Friends of Hackberry Flat will celebrate the migration of monarch butterflies at the Hackberry Flat Center south of Frederick, Okla. On Saturday, Oct. 11th, visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the amazing monarch butterfly and participate in a conservation effort for these long-distance migrants. There is no fee, but reservations are required.    Depending on weather conditions the morning of the event, visitors will be taken to an area in Hackberry Flat Wildlife Management Area where migrating monarchs spend the night. Monarchs will be collected and taken to the Hackberry Flat Center where they will be tagged. If weather is not conducive for collecting that morning, biologists will collect monarchs prior to the program and have the butterflies at the Center ready to be tagged. A program will be presented on the life history of the monarch butterfly and then the tagged monarchs will be released. The program...