Greetings Monarch Watchers!
We
love to hear from you but please be sure to check out all of the
information we have online via our website, blog, Facebook page, etc.
before contacting us with questions (especially at this time of year).
Though we are not always able to respond in a timely manner, we do try
to address every email, voicemail and letter we receive. THANK YOU! :-)
Included in this issue:
1. Chip in for Monarch Watch 2024
2. Monarch Population Status
3. Upcoming Monarch Watch Events
4. Monarch Watch Tagging Kits
5. Submitting Tag Data
6. Milkweed Market & Free Milkweed
7. Monarch Waystations
8. Send us your photos, videos, stories, and more!
9. About This Monarch Watch List
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1. Chip in for Monarch Watch 2024
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The
2024 Chip in for Monarch Watch fundraising campaign is now underway! If
you are in a position to offer financial support to Monarch Watch,
please consider making a donation of any amount during our fall
campaign.
As
many of you know, this annual fundraising campaign was created in honor
of our founding director, Chip Taylor (whose birthday happens to be at
the end of August, by the way). This campaign offers a chance for
Monarch Watchers, colleagues, friends, and family across the planet to
show their support for Chip and the monarch program he brought to life
more than three decades ago.
What
you may not know is that Chip actually retired from the University of
Kansas back in 2016 but continued to dedicate his time to serving as
director of Monarch Watch until the end of last year when we welcomed
Kristen Baum as our new director. Monarchs and Monarch Watch are truly
Chip's passions and he spends every day working to support both.
This year, you may choose to contribute to:
1.
the Chip and Toni Taylor Professorship in Support of Monarch Watch to
help us support Chip's legacy and the future of Monarch Watch by
supporting the professorship associated with the Monarch Watch director
position (funds are invested in an endowment), or
2.
the Monarch Watch Fund to help us continue to maintain, enhance and
expand our education, conservation and research programs, which
includes creating habitats to sustain the monarch migration.
Please visit the Chip in for Monarch Watch<https://monarchwatch.org/chip>
campaign page to make your gift, read comments, and check out some
photos you may have not seen. There is also a link to a form where you
can submit your own comments, thanks, birthday wishes, photos, etc. We
will compile these and present them to Chip at the end of the campaign
– and try to share many of them with you as well.
Donating
securely online is easy via the platform provided by KU Endowment (they
manage all of our donations, no matter how you give) but if you would
rather make a donation by phone or mail, complete details may be found
on the Chip in for Monarch Watch<https://monarchwatch.org/chip> page.
Please
share this campaign via social media or other means to reach anyone you
think may be interested in donating to Monarch Watch. The connections
that are facilitated by monarchs and Monarch Watch are truly
extraordinary and with your support we will endeavor to foster these
for generations to come. We are grateful for the opportunity to work
with you to contribute to monarch conservation. Thank you!
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2. Monarch Population Status —by Chip Taylor
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The
size of the last generation is a function of the number of eggs laid
from about 20 July to 5-10 August as well as the quality of the
milkweeds and the weather. The adults from that oviposition typically
emerge throughout August into early September. This year the emergence
could be delayed due to a cold front that moved into the northern
breeding area starting on the 4th of August. Overnight temperatures
dipped into the 50s in many areas limiting the number of hours for
larval development. It’s possible that development has been pushed back
by at least 10 days.
This
means that monarchs that would normally be on the wing in early to
mid-August are still larvae or pupae at this writing (19 August).
Hopefully, that’s the case, and we are simply dealing with a late
emergence and migration. The tagging will tell, but to assess lateness,
we will need taggers to extend their tagging efforts as late as
possible into the migration.
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3. Upcoming Monarch Watch Events
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Chip in for Monarch Watch
August–September
Annual online fundraising event in honor of Chip
Monarch Watch Fall Open House (Free event)
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Monarch Watch, Lawrence, Kansas
Monarch Watch Tagging Event (Free event)
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Baker Wetlands Discovery Center, Lawrence, Kansas
Hasta Luego Monarchs! (Free event)
Saturday, September 28, 2024
A family-friendly pollinator event
Pollinator Prairie, Olathe, Kansas
Shoreline Shuffle 5K/10K Race (registration required)
Saturday, October 5, 2024
All proceeds are being donated to Monarch Watch
Lawrence, Kansas
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4. Monarch Watch Tagging Kits for 2024
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Tags
for the 2024 fall tagging season are available and the migration is
underway. If you would like to tag monarchs for Monarch Watch this
year, please order your tags soon! Tagging Kits ordered now should
arrive within 10–14 days but priority will be given to areas that will
experience the migration first.
Monarch
Watch Tagging Kits are only shipped to areas east of the Rocky
Mountains. Each tagging kit includes a set of specially manufactured
monarch butterfly tags (you specify quantity), a data sheet, tagging
instructions, and additional monarch / migration information. Tagging
Kits for the 2024 season start at only $15 and include your choice of
25, 50, 100, 200, or 500 tags.
Monarch
Watch Tagging Kits and other materials (don't forget a net!) are
available via the Monarch Watch Shop online at shop.monarchwatch.org<https://shop.monarchwatch.org> – where each purchase helps support Monarch Watch.
Tagging
should begin in early to mid-August north of 45N latitude (e.g.,
Minneapolis), late August at other locations north of 35N (e.g.,
Oklahoma City, Fort Smith, Memphis, Charlotte) and in September and
early October in areas south of 35N latitude. See a map and tables with
expected peak migration dates and suggested dates to begin tagging on
the Monarch Tagging Program page at the link above.
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5. Submitting Tag Data
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Thousands
of you submitted your 2023 season tag data to us via mail, our online
submission form, or our mobile app – thank you! We are still receiving
data and if you haven't submitted yours yet (for 2023 or even previous
years) it is not too late. Please review the "Submitting Your Tagging
Data" information on the Tagging Program page at
monarchwatch.org/tagging<https://monarchwatch.org/tagging>
We
have conveniently placed a large "Submit Your Tagging Data" button on
our homepage that will take you directly to the online form. There you
can upload your data sheets as an Excel or other spreadsheet file
(PREFERRED; download a template file from monarchwatch.org/tagging<https://monarchwatch.org/tagging> ) or a PDF/image file (scan or photo). You may also record and submit your data via the Monarch Watch mobile app<https://monarchwatch.org/app> (iOS & Android).
If you have any questions about getting your data to us, please feel free to drop Jim a line anytime via JLOVETT@KU.EDU
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6. Milkweed Market & Free Milkweed
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Monarch Watch Milkweed Market
Fall
milkweed sales! We are growing native milkweeds for California
and ecoregion 255 (E Central Texas and SE Oklahoma, see map<https://monarchwatch.org/milkweed/market>) for distribution this fall. Available on the Monarch Watch Milkweed Market<https://shop.milkweedmarket.org> for preorder now. Shipping approximately 1 November for California and mid-October for ecoregion 255.
Free milkweed for Texas and Oklahoma restoration projects
New this fall for East Central Texas and Southeast Oklahoma (see ecoregion 255 on map<https://monarchwatch.org/milkweed/market>).
To qualify, applicants must have a minimum of two acres to restore to
natural, native habitat, and have a management plan in place. Milkweeds
are awarded on a first come, first served basis, so apply early.
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7. Monarch Waystations
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Creating
a Monarch Waystation can be as simple as adding milkweeds and nectar
sources to existing gardens or maintaining natural habitats with
milkweeds. No effort is too small to have a positive impact. We are
approaching 50,000 Monarch Waystations – help us reach that milestone
in 2024!
As
of 15 August 2024, there have been 48,518 Monarch Waystation habitats
registered with Monarch Watch! Texas holds the #1 spot with 3,938
habitats and Illinois (3,723), Michigan (3,532), California
(3,107), Ohio (2,488), Florida (2,479), Pennsylvania (2,372), Wisconsin
(2,093), Virginia (2,067), and New York (1,602) round out the top ten.
A
quick online application will register your site and you will receive a
certificate bearing your name and your habitat's ID that can be used to
look up its record in our online registry. You may also choose to
purchase a metal sign to display in your habitat to encourage others to
get involved in monarch conservation.
If
you have created a habitat for monarchs and other wildlife, help
support our conservation efforts by registering your habitat as an
official Monarch Waystation today!
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8. Send us your photos, videos, stories, and more!
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We
are always looking for monarch photos, videos, stories and more for use
on our website, on our social media accounts, in our publications, and
as a part of other promotional and educational items we distribute
online and offline to promote monarch conservation and Monarch Watch.
There
are several ways you can send us your favorite files (please only
submit your own materials) and all of the methods below are accessible
via monarchwatch.org/share<https://monarchwatch.org/share>
This is the form we prefer you use as it is the most comprehensive and allows you to provide complete information.
Note that this method does not allow you to include contact or other information.
3. If you have issues using either of the tools above you may also email your submission to us at share@monarchwatch.org but
please include everything we ask for on the main form by
copying/pasting the information below into your email message (or use
it as a guide).
Name:
Email address:
Do you want to be credited when we use your materials, when feasible?
Name as you would like it to appear in credit:
Description
of materials or other comments (for photos and videos this should
include an approximate date of capture and location):
Please note that by sharing materials with Monarch Watch you agree to the statements provided at monarchwatch.org/share<https://monarchwatch.org/share> regarding their origin and use. Thank you!
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9. About This Monarch Watch List
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Monarch Watch ( monarchwatch.org<https://monarchwatch.org>
) is a nonprofit education, conservation, and research program
affiliated with the Kansas Biological Survey & Center for
Ecological Research at the University of Kansas. The program strives to
provide the public with information about the biology of monarch
butterflies, their spectacular migration, and how to use monarchs to
further science education in primary and secondary schools. Monarch
Watch engages in research on monarch migration biology and monarch
population dynamics to better understand how to conserve the monarch
migration and also promotes the protection of monarch habitats
throughout North America.
We
rely on private contributions to support the program and we need your
help! Please consider making a tax-deductible donation. Complete
details are available at monarchwatch.org/donate<https://monarchwatch.org/donate> or you can simply call 785-832-7386 (KU Endowment Association) for more information about giving to Monarch Watch.
If you have any questions about this email or any of our programs, please feel free to contact us anytime.
Thank you for your continued interest and support!
Jim Lovett
Monarch Watch
Riechel
Reports - Events
- City
of San Bruno CA