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On Thursday, November 18, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources asked the public for help reporting monarch butterfly sightings in southern states. From December 1 to March 1, 2022, scientists hope to hear reports of monarch sightings from residents of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.
The public can create reports at journeynorth.org. Journey North tracks and publishes news on many species seasonal migrations including a variety of birds and of course monarch butterflies.
Records of monarch butterfly sightings will aid scientists in their research and, in turn, in their conservation efforts. The reports will determine whether butterflies can spend their winter as non-breeding adults in the southern United States.
This information will help scientists understand whether monarch butterflies spend the winter in the southern states rather than migrate to Mexico.
Last winter, more than 5,800 monarch butterflies were sighted in southern states when populations were expected to be in Mexico. Monarch butterfly populations are also declining significantly and have been added to the endangered species list.
By tracking their migration and changing habits, scientists can focus their conservation efforts to save the monarch butterflies.
Journey North has a place to Report monarch sightings on their home page. They are looking for help identifying different types of monarch sightings. They also need all reports to state the number of monarch butterflies that have been sighted in a location.
Any photos you take are an important addition to monarch butterfly sighting reports.
If you see a monarch butterfly, use the following list to add details to your report:
- Monarch Adults – Did the princes show a directed flight? How many adult monarch butterflies have you observed in this one location? How did you estimate the number of monarchs sighted?
- Monarch Ei – Let Journey North know if the egg was on or under a milkweed leaf.
- Monarch Larva – Let Journey North know if the larva was on or under the leaf of a milkweed plant.
- milkweed plant – One of the easiest ways to help conserve monarch butterflies is to plant milkweed plants. As one of the butterflies’ primary food sources, milkweed is crucial to their migration and survival.
- Monarch Peak Migration — Monarch Fall migration is spectacular and also unpredictable. People often report seeing large numbers of monarchs flying in clear “directional” flight, or seeing “hundreds of butterflies” scurrying in a field of flowers piling up for the long flight. If you witness what appears to be a large number of monarchs for your area (ie tens, hundreds), please report this sighting under PEAK Migration. In order for reported numbers to make sense, be sure to let Journey North know how long you spent counting monarchs.
- Monarch Roosts – Migrating monarchs cluster together in trees at night, forming what is called a roost. A roost can have a handful of butterflies or more than you can count. Fall sleep reports should reflect the number of monarchs observed in a single roost during a single night. Let Journey North know in your comments when the roost was formed, how you estimated the number of monarchs’ resting places, and other information (such as nearby nectar sources, types of trees in the roost, and whether the monarchs are protected from the wind at their location ).
- Other observations – Other sightings may include mating, laying eggs, producing nectar (let Journey North know what plant species have been sighted, if known), basking, and deceased monarch.
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