by Chip Taylor, Founding Director, Monarch Watch It is easy to forget how we came to know what is known today about monarchs. Our understandings of how the world works often have long and convoluted histories that include fundamental misunderstandings, unsupported interpretations and sometimes unintended consequences. These paths to discovery occur within a background of […] The post Jennie Brooks of Lawrence, Kansas: Her early contributions to monarch science appeared first on Monarch Watch ..read more

As most of you reading this know, the estimate of the number of monarchs overwintering in Mexico this past winter was a mere 0.9hectares, the second lowest in the record that began in 1994. Low numbers have again triggered concerns about the viability of the eastern monarch migration and given rise to a number of […] The post Monarch population development in 2024: Part 1 appeared first on Monarch Watch ..read more

Introduction The question posed in the title is important. Evidence of a continuous decline could lead to regulations and restrictions in accordance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) while evidence of stable numbers would indicate that regulations are unwarranted. In fact, monarch numbers did decline substantially from overwintering hectares in the double digits in 1995-1996 […] The post Is the eastern monarch population continuing to decline? appeared first on Monarch Watch ..read more

Today only! Help Monarch Watch climb to the top of the leaderboard again and get more milkweed in the ground by making a donation of any amount during this special one-day fundraising event, through midnight tonight. Thank you for your support! The post Monarch Watch One-Day Fundraiser Today! appeared first on Monarch Watch ..read more

This newsletter was recently sent via email to those who subscribe to our email updates. If you would like to receive periodic email updates from Monarch Watch, please take a moment to complete and submit the short form at monarchwatch.org/subscribe/ Greetings Monarch Watchers and Happy New Year to all! Each and every one of you […] The post Monarch Watch Update January 2024 appeared first on Monarch Watch ..read more

This newsletter was recently sent via email to those who subscribe to our email updates. If you would like to receive periodic email updates from Monarch Watch, please take a moment to complete and submit the short form at monarchwatch.org/subscribe/ Greetings Monarch Watchers! A brief update this time around as we wrap up our fall […] The post Monarch Watch Update September 2023 appeared first on Monarch Watch ..read more

The WWF-Telmex Telcel Foundation Alliance, in collaboration with the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR), announced the total forest area occupied by overwintering monarch colonies today. Nine (9) colonies were located this winter season with a total area of 0.90 […] The post Monarch Population Status appeared first on Monarch Watch ..read more

The text and graphics below are intended to provide the background needed to understand why many of the monarchs in the 2023 fall migration failed to reach the overwintering sites in central Mexico. This is a story of biology, weather and geography as well as the resource supply chains that support the monarch migration. This […] The post Background on the relationship of overwintering monarch numbers in 2023-2024 to the extreme drought in October and November 2023 appeared first on Monarch Watch ..read more

I started the year with a rant! While traveling over the holidays, I received an email from Canadian Don Davis on 26 December informing me that “Monarch butterflies are now ranked under Canada’s Species at Risk Act as “Endangered”.” There was no indication of how this decision had been reached or who among the Canadian […] The post Monarchs now ranked as ‘endangered’ in Canada appeared first on Monarch Watch ..read more

Season’s Greetings from Team Monarch Watch! You are an important part of our team as well. Your interest shows that you are aware of the need to sustain the monarch migration, and that means advocacy for all measures that can be taken to increase monarch numbers. Stated simply, we need to get plants in the […] The post 2023 Monarch Watch summary appeared first on Monarch Watch ..read more