Monarch Watch Update April 2021

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Happy Early Earth Day, Monarch Watchers!

Included in this issue:
1. Monarch Watch Spring Plant Fundraiser
2. Milkweeds for California and More!
3. Monarch Tag Recoveries & A Possible Remigrant?
4. Monarch Watch Tagging Kits
5. Bicycling with Butterflies: Thank You!
6. About This Monarch Watch List

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1. Monarch Watch Spring Plant Fundraiser
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It’s here! Our annual Spring Plant Fundraiser is now online and we have thousands of plants looking for good homes. We are once again offering online ordering and contactless curbside pickup (or limited local delivery) for this event. To place an order you must live in, or be willing to travel to, LAWRENCE, KANSAS (we cannot ship). These plants are ideal for starting butterfly gardens or adding to established gardens and can contribute to the health of monarch and pollinator populations. Don’t miss out!

A complete list of plants and online ordering is available via the link below and pickup/delivery appointments are being scheduled for May 5-8.

Monarch Watch Spring Plant Fundraiser: https://spring.monarchwatch.org

If you are not able to participate locally, we invite you to contribute to this annual fundraiser by donating to Monarch Watch via https://monarchwatch.org/donate

Thank you!

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2. Milkweeds for California and More!
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Monarch Watch is excited to announce a new partnership with Great Valley Seed/Headstart Nursery in Gilroy, CA. What does this mean for Californians? In 2021, we can ship you a flat of narrowleaf milkweed for $83 a flat. And, if you apply for free milkweeds as part of a nonprofit or school that has a public garden, your organization can get these milkweeds for free. We are taking orders now!

But we don’t only have plants in California. People all over the country can purchase milkweeds through the Milkweed Market. Texas gardeners, get your orders in soon because we will begin shipping next week.

Speaking of FREE milkweeds, we still have funding to give away about 1600 more milkweed plants in 2021. The Natural Resources Defense Council has generously funded this grant for the last 7 years, and it is really helping get milkweeds into public gardens. In Chicago’s Beverly/Morgan Park neighborhood, we are distributing seven flats to the community so they can add milkweed to their pollinator gardens. See more here: http://bit.ly/bring-on-the-butterflies

Monarch Watch’s Milkweed Market: https://shop.milkweedmarket.org/

Apply for Free Milkweeds: https://monarchwatch.org/free-milkweeds

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3. Monarch Tag Recoveries & A Possible Remigrant?
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The codes for tags recently recovered at the overwintering sites in central Mexico have been posted online and “domestic recoveries” (within Canada, the US, and northern Mexico) are also available. So pull out a copy of your tagging records and check out the recovery lists to determine if any of your tagged butterflies were observed or recovered after release!

Monarch Watch Tag Recoveries: https://monarchwatch.org/tagrecoveries

A possible remigrant? We recently received an email about a tagged monarch that was found in a duck pen in Dimmitt, Texas (southwest of Amarillo) on the 16th of March 2021. We are still receiving and processing data from the 2020 tagging season but were able to locate the tag record that indicated this monarch was a wild male that was released 9-14-2020 from Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Based on the details provided, it seems likely that this monarch was a remigrant that left Iowa in the fall, overwintered in Mexico, started the trek north in the spring and then died shortly before it was found.

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4. Monarch Watch Tagging Kits
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Monarch tagging is an important tool to help us understand the overall dynamics of the monarch population. Tagging Kits for the 2021 fall tagging season are available for preorder and we will ship them out in the fall, ahead of the migration in your area.

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 2021 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 https://shop.monarchwatch.org – where each purchase helps support Monarch Watch.

Monarch Watch Tagging Program: https://monarchwatch.org/tagging

Please return your tag data! Although we prefer that you submit your tag data to us once your tagging season is over (and by December 1st if possible), it is never too late to send in your data. Online submission is preferable and the most efficient method, but you may also mail in paper sheets as well. Thank you!

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5. Bicycling with Butterflies: Thank You!
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In 2017 outdoor educator Sara Dykman became the first person to bicycle the entire route of the migrating monarch butterfly. Last week, hundreds of you from all over the world joined us online as we presented Sara and her new book “Bicycling with Butterflies” in conversation with Monarch Watch Director Chip Taylor. In total, we had more than 1,100 registrants – nearly 700 attended live and hundreds more have since viewed the recorded event.

If you were not able to attend the live event, no worries – you can replay the entire hour-long event at your convenience via https://monarchwatch.org/bicyclingwithbutterflies

“Told with a writer’s eye for detail and a biologist’s sensitivity to the fragile nature of the systems that support wildlife and humans . . . a keen observer of the human condition, Sara draws attention to some of the patterns in our society that are in conflict with the greater good. Her narrative is an important wake-up call for the need to stay connected to nature.” —Dr. Orley Taylor, director of Monarch Watch

Order your copy of Sara’s new book “Bicycling with Butterflies: My 10,201-Mile Journey Following the Monarch Migration” from Monarch Watch via https://monarchwatch.org/book/9781643260457

For those of you who preordered Sara’s book from Monarch Watch ahead of the April 13th publication date, we are still busy sending them out and you should receive your copy soon!

A BIG THANK YOU goes out to everyone who made this special live online event a huge success!

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6. About This Monarch Watch List
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Monarch Watch ( https://monarchwatch.org ) is a nonprofit education, conservation, and research program affiliated with the Kansas Biological Survey 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 https://monarchwatch.org/donate or you can simply call 785-832-7452 (KU Endowment) 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
https://monarchwatch.org

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